Are We There Yet?
by saxa246
Summary: 83.3 miles is a long way to go when you have a wandering mind. Faberry. Rated M for later chapters. Set a few months after the Season 3 finale. R&R!
1. The Journey

**A/N: I have the whole thing planned already up to the very end. Originally thought it would be a 10-chapter fic, but turns out I get really verbose when I'm trying to establish the mood and once I try to get into their minds... well, it's too much fun for me to cut it short. So bear with me, this might end up being way longer than 10 chapters. Each chapter will be around 3,000- 4,000 words and since it's the summer break, I'll probably post at least 2 times a week. Enjoy, and leave a review if there is anything bothering you or if you just want to leave a word. Thank you and here we go.**

Chapter 1: The Journey.

Traveling 83.3 miles takes longer than one would imagine. Well, at least it was taking more than Rachel Berry ever thought. She was sitting by herself, the seat next to her thankfully empty. She sighed, her inner voice getting more and more childish as the time progressed. _Are we there yet?_ She certainly would march to the front and ask someone, but she knew that they weren't and her asking would not help that fact a bit. She let her head touch the window, trying not to think probably how unhygienic that was on her part. She could feel her exhaustion finally reaching her mind and even for a moment, her thoughts stopped, giving her some relief. It had been a long week. She, Rachel Berry, the diva, possibly the biggest talent to ever come out of one of the smallest towns ever, Lima, Ohio had been on stage for the first time ever since she left, even though it was only for a small group assignment. Unlike her Glee club at McKinley High, NYADA was very serious about theoretical knowledge and her professors there seemed to be determined to drill everything there was to know about music into her head before they even let her step on the stage. She smiled as she thought about her days back then. It had been almost three months since she and Finn broke up and she got on that train to New York. She had thought her life would change dramatically once Finn told her they had to break up. Her life did change, dramatically, but it was only partly due to the break up, and much as it pained her to admit, it was only a small part.

It had taken a considerably small amount time for the diva to get over her highschool romance, as she liked to call it. Yes, Finn was a fine boyfriend and he had certainly contributed to her gradual rise in the metaphorical ladder of the highschool social ranks, but in the end, it was what it was: a highschool romance. She knew she had been in love with him once, but even that love seemed a bit childish to her eyes now that she was out of the chaotic walls of McKinley High. She loved her old highschool and she couldn't deny the fact that everything she went through while she was there contributed to the person she was today, she was glad that she was finally out there, in the big city, living her dream. She shuddered at the thought that there was a time she could even consider not having what she had now because of a boy. Because, sweet as he was, that's what Finn was, a boy, and he sure needed some growing up. _Maybe one day..._ she let her thoughts wander. No matter how hard or long she tried, she couldn't imagine a future with Finn any more. She sighed. Add that to the list of things that she needed to figure out when the right time came. Her rest was apparently over since her mind was in overdrive again. This particular time, her brain was busy going over the notes of the song "Maybe This Time" from the musical cabaret.

_It is fitting after all..._ she thought, after all, she hadn't had the best start to her highschool career, but she wasn't doing too bad this time around at college. Yes, she had originally thought it would have been easier than it was for her with all the people around her having similar interests at least, but what Rachel Berry wasn't prepared to see was that having the same interests with a class full of people meant that the things that made you unique and made you shine in highschool were not that uncommon anymore. It was a bit frustrating in the beginning, but the small diva never backed away from any challenge. She was still having a good time, knowing that her talent was matched, and that gave her the opportunity to grow, something that she didn't really have back in highschool.

As her mind went through similar thoughts comparing and contrasting her life now and back then, she couldn't help the smile on her face grow wider. Even the fact that she was currently on her way to see _her_ was an indication that her life had changed, wasn't it? Quinn Fabray had been the object of her admiration, her fear, her sympathy and finally, her friendship. She smiled even more when she thought about the day the cheerleader had given her the pass and told her that she wanted to keep in touch for real. No, she hadn't just told her, she had proved to her that she wanted to be involved in her life, even after highschool, _especially after highschool_¸her inner voice added. Without the added drama of the highschool life and raging teenager hormones, they were both more relaxed. College was a chance to start over, to get it right, to make sure none of the mistakes they had made in highschool were never repeated. Of course they would screw up again, but at least they would do it more gracefully, with more experience. Rachel Berry felt her heart swell with the knowledge that this time she had friends. It didn't matter that they were all scattered around in many different cities and locations, what mattered was that she knew for sure that if she got into trouble, her friends would do anything to help her out. It made her feel safe, it made her feel optimistic.

That was how she felt about her friendship with Quinn Fabray as well. The cheerleader wasn't exactly the warmest or the most open person she ever met, but she knew that Quinn cared about her. _She cared enough to make sure we saw each other. _That was something she could maybe expect from Kurt, or even for Puck for that matter, but coming from Quinn, it meant even more. 83.3 miles was really quite the distance to travel, but it at least gave Rachel the chance to think about important things. Things such as what to do when she sees the ex-cheerleader. Despite all the fuzzy warm feelings she was feeling inside, her mind was determined to keep her in control. Yes, Rachel and Quinn had been friends for a while now, and this was definitely a great opportunity to start a new, stronger phase in their relationship but she was scared. _Cautious,_ she corrected herself. Not scared. She just didn't want to overstep her boundaries and make Quinn retreat into her shell again. She wanted to be the blonde's friend, her best friend if she let her, but that was certainly going to take some time. Rachel knew from first hand experience that the blonde fell back on her old icy personality when she felt threatened in any way. So she was cautious. She was not going to make her feel smothered. She was just going to relax and have fun with her friend Quinn. Her soon-to-be-best-friend Quinn. Rachel was not going to push too hard, but still, she was Rachel Berry and if she wanted something, she would have it, no matter what. And she wanted Quinn. Her train of thought was broken when she realized what she was just thinking. _I do not want Quinn.I want her to be my friend. _She then laughed at her own dirty mind for making herself self-conscious. Besides, Quinn Fabray was, _and is, _she added, one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen. Anyone to cross paths with Quinn would want her, that was just the laws of physics. _Right, back to the task now brain. How to greet her? _She had tried out almost every possible outcome of her seeing Quinn for the first time after three months of separation. In the end, she decided on a simple greeting, she would smile, _of course I would smile, _she thought, and call her name, _hi Quinn!,_ and then warn the blonde about the upcoming hug she would receive. _That sounds considerate enough, _ she thought to herself.

Another half an hour passed and finally she was there, in New Haven. She couldn't help but feel nervous. _Keep calm,_ she muttered. She got slightly mad at herself when her hands didn't comply with her brain and just kept on trembling. She was there, with her small pink suitcase on the ground next to her leg, waiting for Quinn to show up.

Quinn Fabray was there already. She stood where she was, waiting for the brunette to notice her. She didn't blame Rachel for not noticing her right away. Quinn knew she looked different, very different from the last time Rachel saw her back in Lima, Ohio. The first thing Quinn Fabray did when she got to New Haven, well the first thing after her mother apologized for being so distant before for the umphteenth time was to change her wardrobe. She didn't even need to do much, really, she hadn't packed most of her dresses anyway. See, her plan was perfect, she had prepared two suitcases, one full of clothes to go to charity and one to take to New Haven with her. She was finally getting out of Lima, she was starting a new life. A new leaf, by all means, a clean sheet, and all the other suitable metaphors. _Because metaphors are important, _she thought to herself, the voice in her mind mimicking the brunette. She wondered for a moment if it was creepy for her to just stay there and watch Rachel get more and more frustrated by the second. The thought of the diva getting anxious and maybe even doing another one of her signature storm outs amused her. She shook her head at herself. She didn't like upsetting the diva but she enjoyed teasing her. She always did. Quinn checked her reflection in the window across the station hall. Her hair was cropped short again, the way she liked it, and she was wearing dark skinny jeans and a hoodie. She decided not to let Rachel wait any longer when she saw her stomp her foot on the ground and check her watch. She was suddenly nervous. She didn't know what to say when she met Rachel, which had never been a problem up to then. This was a new setting and out of their small town context, she didn't know who exactly they were. She just knew that the small brunette standing by the door was her friend. The only one besides Santana and Brittany to support her through all the things she went through in highschool, without any good reason. She shook her head again, this time to clear her thoughts. Quickly, she made her way to the diva and tapped her on the shoulder.

Rachel Berry turned on her heels so fast, she made herself dizzy. Or it was the sudden sight of the woman she was expecting to see and just how real she was. Yeah, that was the adjective to describe the Quinn she found. Real. Quinn looked different. _It's not just the clothes,_ Rachel thought, _it's the way she looks at me. _Yes, Rachel and Quinn had been friends by the end of their senior year but even then when Quinn looked at her, Rachel could see the burdens of the past clouding Quinn's eyes. Quinn Fabray was never really there. There was always a part of her deep in the shadows, there was always a part of her she kept behind. It didn't seem to be the case any longer. Rachel realized none of them had said anything since Quinn tapped her on the shoulder while looking at her hazel eyes. "Hey! Quinn, hi!" she managed to say when Quinn pretty much threw herself at her, enveloping the smaller girl in a tight embrace. "Hi, Rachel. I missed you." Quinn said, and it was the simple truth. She really did miss the diva, she missed seeing her every day at school, she missed hearing her sing, she missed her long rants. "I missed you, too, Quinn." Rachel wrapped her arms tightly around the blonde's waist and let herself just feel the warmth of her body. They stepped back a couple of moments later, reluctantly. "How was the travel?" Quinn asked, trying to compose herself and stopping herself from tackling the brunette again.

"It was longer than I thought, actually. But since I'm finally here in one piece and all, you'd better tell me you have something fun planned for us to do this weekend," said Rachel, all in one breath. That was what she did best when she felt flustered like she did now. _When in doubt, speak._ That was her motto. She relaxed a little when she saw the blonde grin at her.

"Oh, don't worry. We will have fun." Rachel couldn't help but smile at the response. "But first, let's get you to my dorm so you can tell me all about your trip and NYADA and your roommate." With that, Quinn grabbed Rachel's suitcase, despite the brunette's protests and started walking towards her car.


	2. Zippers and Buttons

**A/N: Oh my god, so many people alerted and favorited this fic already, it's unbelievable. I'd still have uploaded this chapter pretty fast anyway, but it sure helped. It's just so much fun writing these two. Especially Rachel. I do kinda tend to go on and on like she does, so it's actually easier to write her than it is for me to write Quinn. Also, I was planning on making this a more angsty or at least dramatic chapter, but I don't think I have it in me, not yet. For now, it's just cuteness and fluff. So, once again, enjoy your reading and if you have any questions, concerns, suggestions or comments or if you just want to say hi, make sure you leave a review. Hope you all have a great day!**

Chapter 2: Zippers and Buttons.

It was around 5pm when they finally made it to Quinn's room. Rachel was quieter than normal on the way there, she mostly let the blonde talk about her life at Yale and how her classes were going. The only time she got into one of her characteristically long winded rants was when the dj at the radio station they were listening to got some facts about Celine Dion wrong. The diva's overprotective tendencies towards Celine Dion – and especially the fact that she insisted on calling her Celine, much like the way she called Barbra Streisand "Barbra" – were probably one of Quinn's favorite things about her. _Plural, _she thought, _there are so many things about her that just have to be loved. _Quinn smiled at that thought. When she turned her head, the brunette's expectant looks made her realize that she had probably spaced out during the rant. She looked at Rachel's face for a moment, to see if she could get any clues but to no avail, the brunette could manage a perfect poker face when she wanted to. "I'm sorry, I must have spaced off." She offered.

"It's okay, Quinn. I mean I do not have any delusions to think that anyone, let alone you, would actually care enough about Celine to listen to my fierce defence of her talents and timeless songs."

_Take that for example. So cute. _"Rachel... I was listening to you. And I'm sure your defence was very interesting, but I am little tired and I just don't want to fall asleep at the wheel, especially not after what happened last year."

"Oh." _Okay, that was low. _Quinn scolded herself for resorting to that excuse the moment she saw the brunette's face fall. "I'm sorry Quinn. I'll try and be more quiet. I didn't mean to be a distraction to you."

"No, Rachel, it's okay. I was just being an ass." _Pretty much the whole time I've known you. _"I'm sorry." _For everything, _she added mentally. For the rest of the drive, Rachel had remained relatively silent and it was killing both of them. So when Quinn finally unlocked the door to her room and let Rachel in, she turned around and stood right in front of her, causing the brunette to bump into her slightly.

"Quinn? What's going on?" asked Rachel, her voice smaller than she was aiming for. _What if she changed her mind? What if she never wanted to be friends with me in the first place? I was too pushy, I knew it, I blew it again._

Quinn stood there for a moment, looking at the brunette's face, fascinated by the everchanging emotions expressed on her features. "Rachel, slow down." The brunette raised her head to look at her so fast, Quinn could swear she heard her neck crack. "Whatever you're thinking, that's not why I stopped. You look so panicked right now, I wish you could see your face." She chuckled. "I was just going to say that, since we're not on the road and driving anymore, I would very much like it if you could start speaking again. Like the Rachel we all know and love. I'm dying to hear about NYADA!"

The relaxation in Rachel's physical features was visible even to the untrained eye. "Oh well, NYADA is fabulous! I have so many classes and for once they are all on subjects that are of interest to me although I can't for the life of me figure out why we have to do so much theoretical stuff before they let us sing on stage. I mean I do understand the fact that we also need to learn about music and history and techniques but I also feel like I could work on my vocal range as well." She took a deep breath.

"How long have you been wanting to tell me about that?" Quinn said with a playful smile.

Rachel smiled back. "Since I got into the car." They both laughed at the admission. "Other than that, I'm living in New York but I don't actually get the chance to spend time in the city much, my roommate is practically a hermit, I think you would like her..." Quinn raised an eyebrow at that but chose not to interrupt the brunette. It was way more fun to just listen to her go on about her daily life in the big city. "... also, I sometimes really wish that Kurt was there with me as well. That pretty much sums it all up."

"How's he doing by the way? Is he still brooding at home?"

"No, the last time I heard he was forcing Blaine to do daily vocal training sessions with him for this year's auditions. He is pretty much back to being our Kurt, but an even more ambitious one, if that's even possible." She paused for a second, then continued, "How is Santana doing? Isn't she also in New York? I want to call her up and meet but I never really have the time and I have to admit that I am still a little scared of her when she doesn't have Brittany nearby to keep her in line."

Quinn chuckled at that. "Oh she's doing fine. The last time we spoke on the phone, she was gonna start performing at this new hot bar. Apparently the last singer that worked there got vetted. So who knows? By the next time we speak, she could have already become a star. This keeping up with friends thing while going through college is hard. Harder than I expected to be honest."

"I know." There was a certain hint of sadness to Rachel's voice that did not escape the blonde's attention.

"Your fathers?" she asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. I do try to talk to them at least once a week but school work is getting harder and harder and I do want to meet new people and make some friends and socialize but I just don't have enough time or energy for that matter." _So cute,_ Quinn thought as she looked at Rachel's pouty face.

"Oh come on. You're Rachel Berry. If anybody can multitask, it's you." Quinn said, with a smile. "Okay, since I've promised you a fun night, a fun night it shall be. It's almost 6 now, so if you want to freshen up and change, we can leave by 7."

"Leave and go where? Quinn that is absolutely not sufficient information for someone to decide what to wear."

"Wear something casual, but not too casual."

"So a bar or a restaurant?"

"Something like that. Now if you are finished fishing for information," Quinn nudged Rachel into her room, "I would be very glad if you started changing."

"I can talk while I change, you know." Rachel continued from the other side of the door, as her eyes quickly surveyed the room she was in. Quinn's dorm was very different from her own, which she was sharing with another student. The room she was standing in was where Quinn actually slept, her bed was by the window, slightly unmade. The thought that Quinn was not the neat freak everyone assumed she was made Rachel smile. There were tons of pictures on the walls, some of them were from their years at McKinley High, and some of them were black and white photographs of still life that Rachel had never seen before. _I should ask Quinn about them later, _she made a mental note.

"Why am I not surprised to hear that?" Quinn quipped back, sitting on the huge comfortable couch in the common room. There were four more people sharing the same living place, they had a common living room, a small kitchen and a small dinner table. They were lucky enough to have separate bathrooms, since the stories Quinn heard from people who were staying at other dorms were pretty horrifying.

"Zip me up." Rachel came out of her room wearing a small black dress and turned around, her back exposed to the blonde's eyes.

"Wh- What?"

"I obviously can't zip myself up Quinn. Even though I have gotten over most of my issues about my body image, I have to admit that sometimes I do wish I had slightly longer arms so I could zip my dresses up on my own but in this case you will have to..." there was a loud zip, a slight touch of Quinn's knuckles to her back and it was done. "... help. Thank you Quinn." The brunette turned around to face her friend, who was looking at the brunette's feet, her cropped hair preventing Rachel from seeing her face. "Is something wrong?" The brunette wondered.

"No. It's just..." _You have fucking amazing back muscles. Do friends even tell each other stuff like this? _Instead, Quinn opted to point out the obvious facts. "You are barefoot. You will need shoes for where we are going." She looked up and smiled. "I guess I should have given you that information before as well?"

Rachel hit the blonde's arm playfully and laughed. "I pretty much figured that out by myself, thank you very much." With that, she went back into the room, and when she finally remerged, she was no longer barefoot. "How do I look? Is this okay for where we are going?"

"You look amazing." _You look amazing. Wait – what? Did I say that out loud? _Rachel's face lighted up at the compliment. _I guess I did. Oh well. She does look amazing. Damn it Fabray! Get it together. She is a friend. We don't look at friends as if they are food. Food. I'm actually really hungry... _Quinn snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of Rachel calling her name.

"You really should get some rest Quinn. You have been spacing out ever since I got here. They must be really overworking you guys here." _Yeah, sure, let's go with that. _Rachel offered a comforting smile, to make sure that Quinn knows that she is just teasing her. "So are you going to change as well?"

"Why Miss Berry, are you ashamed of being seen with a hobo like me?" said the blonde, ruffling up her own hair to make it look even more messy. _Okay, that's all kinds of adorable_, Rachel thought.

"Oh my, Quinn, I would never..." Rachel started but the blonde was already up on her feet and walking towards her room.

"I'll be out in a minute." She winked and closed the door. _A wink? You have got to be kidding me. A wink? You're worse than Sam Evans, Fabray. _She shook her head at herself, and quickly got into a shirt and a vest, leaving her dark jeans on. She checked herself out in her mirror, pleased with her reflection. _It's pathetic how much I want to impress her. What the hell has gotten into me?_ She sighed. Rachel's presence there was only making what she had been going through lately worse, but she was making it better at the same time, somehow. It was complicated, as things regarding Quinn Fabray usually tended to be. _At least I'm not scared that I will go to hell for this anymore, _she thought and with that, she exited her room.

"Are we ready?" she asked. Rachel just got up and walked towards her as an answer. The thing is, she did not stop until she was completely in Quinn's personal space. "Um... I... RACHEL?" her voice was way more high pitched than she originally intended but it was too late to take it back. _Rachel fucking Berry is unbuttoning my vest. Rachel. Hands. On. Me. I just can't..._

"Stop flinching. You missed a button there."

"Oh." _Oh. Shit-!_

Rachel looked at her face with a hint of amusement in her eyes. _Was that disappointment in her voice? _She wondered, but kept quiet about it. "There you go. Now that you look decent enough, I can be seen in public with you. You know, someone may take a photo of us tonight and when I make my big break in Broadway the photos may resurface. I can't risk it Fabray. You have to be on top of your game if you wanna roll with me." It was a miracle she managed to get that sentence out with a straight face.

"You are unbelievable. C'mon, out." She ushered the brunette out of the door, trying not to oggle her ass. Well, not too much at least.

"So, where are you taking me?" Rachel asked, linking her arm to the blonde's, completely unaware of the innuendo and its effects on Quinn.

"Just... Just be patient, okay? You'll like it, I promise," was all that she could offer.

"Oh God, Quinn, this is amazing!" Quinn had a beaming Rachel Berry jumping up and down in a very little dress right next to her. She couldn't help but notice the way the brunette's arm and hip touched hers every single time she jumped. She had to mentally kick herself to make sure that she still had the ability to speak.

"So you like it?" she asked, with a smile.

"Like it? I absolutely love it!" They were finally shown to an empty table near the bar. Quinn took a deep breath as the brunette stopped jumping and instead grabbed the blonde's hand and lead her to the table. "Do you come here often?"

"Not too often. It's not exactly a place to come by yourself you know. It's more fun when there's actually people around to make fun of the people on stage." Yes, Quinn Fabray, the ex-cheerleader, the ice queen, the HBIC, had taken Rachel Berry to a karaoke bar. _If that doesn't prove to anyone that I have changed, nothing probably will, _she thought. She was tired of trying to prove herself to everyone, but on some level, she knew that she deserved it. Her actions in her teens had no real explanation other than the fact that her life pretty much sucked. But she was finally out of her parents' house, she was in one of the top schools in the country – hell, in the world – and she was making friends with the girl she once tried so hard to break. Quinn Fabray knew that she had a long way to go to make everything okay, but she also knew that she had already come a long way. "Are you going to sing?" she paused for a second when she saw the hesitant look on the brunette's face and quickly added, "for me?"

"Only if you sing with me." The brunette said, with a shy smile. All of a sudden she was nervous about singing while the blonde watched. She was nervous about singing _to her. _

"Rachel Berry declining a solo? Have I fell and hit my head somewhere on the way here?" Quinn mused.

"Oh, come on. We've sung together before. Besides, pitchy as you can be at times, you have a beautiful singing voice Quinn. And the point of my visit was to spend time with you, not to showcase my talents in front of an unsuspecting audience."

"Okay, okay, I will sing with you." Quinn threw her arms up in the air in defeat. "I know just the perfect song for us to do."


	3. The Pool and The Ocean

A/N: So the last (and the second) time I updated I did mention something along the lines of updating often, even up to a couple chapters a week. So, after saying that (and properly jinxing myself) I realized I actually had to attend my own graduation and the celebratory stuff afterwards with my family, friends and pretty much everyone I've ever known. Then, when I finally got some free time, I found out that procrastination is my muse. But, at least I'm back now, right? Anyway, thanks for all the follows and faves, and thanks for taking the time to read this. Enjoy!

Chapter 3: The Pool and The Ocean

Rachel Berry was a swimmer. From the first time ever her dads took her to the pool with them to this day, Rachel Berry had been a swimmer and a good one at that. _Some would argue that an exceptional one wouldn't be so far off, either. _At four years old, whenever Rachel was not taking dance or singing lessons, or was busy competing _and excelling_ at both, she was swimming. She was a natural at it, that's what all her instructors kept saying to her very proud fathers.

Now, back in her dorm room at NYADA, merely hours after she left a certain blonde in New Haven, Rachel could not help but think that's what her new friendship with Quinn reminded her of. _Swimming can be a metaphor for almost all relationships of any kind, _she thought. What she liked about swimming was that it required a certain level of confidence, the water was ruthless if the swimmer was panicking. But that confidence only came with trust. One could only be confident in her ability to actually stay afloat if she trusted the water to lift her up in the first place. Beside all this, one also had to know their limits and keep pushing them once those limits became too constricting.

Rachel's thoughts wandered off to her relationship with Finn for a while. Being with Finn was like swimming in a pool – a pool for kids, even. She knew exactly what to expect at all times, there was never anything to throw her off, Finn was never the one to push her out of her comfort zone. The truth was they were always below her comfort zone. The boy was transparent to her. There was no challenge, no risk of losing her footing or being thrown down by an unexpected wave. While she could acknowledge the fact that being in waters way beyond her abilities would have been overwhelming, if not downright terrifying, she also knew that her relationship with Finn never gave a chance to either of them to grow. Both as a couple and as individuals, they kept splashing around in the same vicinity, breaking and making up for the same reasons throughout their relationship. It was safe, but it was frustrating to the point of maddening after a while.

_Quinn, on the other hand, _her thoughts kept wondering back to the ex-cheerleader for some reason. She did not have the mental energy to question why she always ended up comparing and contrasting Quinn and Finn. It was like the ex-power couple had an unbreakable bond in the depths of the brunette's mind. She didn't even think that it had to do with the fact that she had been so worried about Finn leaving her for Quinn once anymore. It was all about Quinn. The girl was a mystery to Rachel, she had always been. _If Finn was a swimming pool and a shallow one at that, then Quinn is like an ocean. _Rachel smiled to herself, satisfied with the way her metaphors were fitting the main actors of her thoughts. _Quinn is deep, she is unpredictable and she certainly has a dark side. But she offers so much freedom._ She got off her bed and walked towards her tiny desk, flipping open a textbook on musical theory and started chewing on her pencil mindlessly. Her mind was being especially uncooperative today. She pushed her chair away from the desk and reached to her phone lying on the bed. Her fingers quickly found the number she had been meaning to call ever since she got on the train back to New York. After a moment's hesitation, she pressed the call button.

_Two nights ago…_

_"I know just the perfect song for us to do."_That's what the blonde had told her. And her choice, as lame as it could have been, was perfect in a sense. To Rachel's surprise, Quinn had decided to go with Lean On Me to sing with the brunette.

"Are you serious?" the brunette asked with honest eyes. "Lean On Me? I thought you hated the way we put you on the spot with that song in Glee Club."

"I did. Kind of…" the blonde trailed off for a moment. "The thing is, I don't think I was ready to let anybody help me back then. My whole life seemed to be falling apart and I was so used to being alone at the top that somehow it didn't make sense that any one of you actually meant it, you know."

Rachel looked at the blonde with sad eyes. _She looks like a freaking puppy like that. Yeap, the cutest puppy ever, _Quinn thought. "I know now that you guys really meant it, though. At least some of you did." _You did, right? _

Suddenly, the blonde found herself being enveloped in a signature Rachel Berry hug. "Of course, we did, Quinn! I wish you had let us help you through all the things you had to go through. I wish we could have made things easier for you."

"Well… I wish that too. But I am getting better at this letting people be my friends thing, don't you think?"

"You certainly are," Rachel replied with a blinding smile. Quinn couldn't help but smile back to her, even though it was too late to go back and change her behavior back then, she had a chance to make things right now.

"Hi." Rachel said hurriedly when she heard the other person answer her call. _Come on, you can do this. I mean, how hard can it be?_

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Oh. Sorry, Santana I absolutely forgot that even though I had the numbers of all the Glee Club members on my phone we actually never exchanged our numbers. I apologize for that."

"Berry? What the hell?" the voice on the other side of the call was starting to sound more pissed off than Rachel thought it would.

"Yes, Santana, it is indeed me, Rachel Berry. Although I would appreciate it if you kept the cursing to-"

"-a minimum, yeah, I remember. So… what do you want Berry?" Even though the Latina sounded annoyed Rachel could tell that Santana was actually smirking.

"Can't I just call up a friend and talk to her if I wanted to?"

"Out of the blue? No way. Nah-uh." _Busted. I wonder if she has psychic tendencies like I do. Oh…_ Rachel realized she had been quiet for a tad too long when Santana cleared her throat.

"Alright, I guess you're right. I was just wondering what you have been up to, and Quinn brought it up to my attention that we have both been in the same great city for a while now and we still haven't had our own little glee reunion. So what do you say?"

"Only if you manage to keep the ramblings to a minimum. Or I'll walk out."

"I assure you Santana, I'm perfectly capable of carrying out a normal conversation with my peers."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm already regretting this. Text me with when and where, okay? I gotta run now." And with that she hung up. _Rude… Oh, well. _Rachel smiled to herself again, feeling proud of her accomplishment for the day.

_Two nights ago…_

It was way past 1 am when they left the bar. It was starting to get chilly outside for the season. They started making their way back to Quinn's dorm, and somewhere along the way, they linked their arms. _I don't want her to get cold,_ the blonde thought, _but I hope she doesn't think I'm coming onto her or anything. I mean not that there is a reason for her to think that anyway. I'm just being a good friend to her. That's what friends do, right? Friends do not let their friends freeze to death._

"Quinn?" the soft voice of the brunette caused Quinn to jump from her train of thought. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah. Perfect." The blonde was about to chastise herself for her lack of a better response when the brunette responded with a beaming smile. Then Quinn felt it, again. That flip her stomach did anytime the brunette flashed her that speacial smile of hers. The elation she felt inside, the way her heart tried to push out of her chest and latch on to the brunette. The way Rachel became the only thing she could focus on in one single moment. Then she heard the brunette's almost inaudible response.

"Yeah, perfect…"

Quinn tried to stop it, she really did. She tried to silence that voice in her head telling her that maybe she did stand a chance with the tiny diva. That maybe she could forgive her for all the things she had done to torture her and that they could actually have a future together. She felt the hope rising inside her, it was almost a physical feeling, as if something was making its way up from behind her heart to her head. Then she immediately felt the dread. The fear that if she tried anything, the brunette would crush her hopes. That she would end up losing everything, including the friendship they were starting to form. _Just get yourself together, Fabray. _

"So, here we are." The blonde unlocked the door to her room and let the brunette in for the second time that day. "Well, since I only have one bed here in my room, I figured you could take the bed and I could sleep on the floor." She hurriedly explained when she noticed the way Rachel was eyeing the room.

"Nonsense Quinn. Your bed is big enough to accomodate both of us. I have no problems sleeping with another body next to mine, so long as you refrain from punching me in the face during a particularly bad dream." The blonde raised an eyebrow at that specific condition.

"Almost happened to me once when I was in kindergarten. Long story short, I don't want another trip to the plastic surgeon's to alter my nose." Rachel's face was devoid of emotion when she recalled that particular memory.

"Well, I am quite the heavy sleeper. I don't think I move at all during the night, so you're safe with me." The ex-cheerleader wanted to say a lot more things. She wanted to tell the brunette that she was beautiful, that she had always been. She wanted to explain to her that the only reason she accepted to help her along when she wanted to alter her appearance was because she had known noone else would have supported the diva. But she didn't. Instead she shrugged. "We're sharing the bed then."

"Thank you, Quinn." Rachel climbed on the bed and turned around to face the wall. "Good night."

"Sweet dreams, Rach."

Rachel made her way to her favorite small coffee shop. She breathed the cold city air, feeling more alive than ever. The city seemed to reflect the mood of its occupants, or at least that's how it seemed to her. She could feel the expectancy in the air, she could feel the tension in the clouds. The city was surging with life, the people had a purpose in their walk, a certain rush in their steps.

The brunette couldn't help but feel this way ever since she heard Quinn call her that nickname. _It's just a silly thing that friends do. Like the way Santana calls you Berry, or midget, even, _she tried to reason. But she felt as if the moment Quinn had called her _Rach, _something had shifted in their friendship. The next day, neither of them seemed to be so nervous around each other. They had walked around the campuses and Quinn had even managed to get Rachel into a music room at Yale without much trouble. They had spent the day mindlessly chatting, their arms linked at all times, the connection never breaking. And at night, they had fallen asleep in the exact same way they had the night before, Rachel facing the wall, and Quinn facing the door. Next morning, though, they had woken up side by side, both facing the ceiling. Their arms had been in full contact, and their hands apparently had managed to find a way to connect during the night. They hadn't said anything about the position they had woken up, they hadn't really had any time to discuss anything really. Soon, _too soon, _the brunette was hugging the blonde at the very train station she had arrived a couple of days ago and saying goodbye.

The door to the coffee shop opened as a customer left with a to-go cup in his hand. A wave of warmth hit Rachel in the face. She looked around quickly to see if Santana was already there. She let out a sigh of relief when she realized she was the first one to arrive. She made her way to the table in the corner and ordered a soy latte for herself. If the Latina was going to be late, she sure could spend her time waiting and getting warm at the same time.


	4. Friends and Secrets

**A/N: Here's a quick update. The formatting of the last chapter ended up being a bit messed up, but I hope it didn't make it too hard to read. Now, here's a Pezberry reunion. I really do love me some Santana. This is a shorter chapter but I like where it ended, so I left it at that. Thanks for the follows and faves and the reviews (I have just learned how to see the reviews, can you believe that? *facepalms*). Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4: Friends and Secrets**

"Watch where you're going!" Santana yelled after a guy who just bumped into her and didn't even apologize. "Fucking asshole." One could say that the girl had changed a lot during the last two years, had grown even, but it was undeniable that Santana ha managed to preserve all the charming treats she had, including her fierce personality and colorful vocabulary.

Today, the ex-cheerleader and the star-in-the-making/waitress was nervous because she was already running late to her meeting with one Rachel Berry. And if anyone knew anything about Rachel Berry it was that she was never late. Never. Santana smiled to herself, and then shook her head to rid herself from her own smile. _I did not just think of the midget fondly. That's it. I'm going softer as I get older. _She swiftly made her way across the street, dodging cars and praying to God that she did not die on her way to see Rachel. _I swear to God, if I die trying to meet Berry I will come back to haunt the hell out of her, _she thought, proud of herself. _Maybe I'm not losing my edge after all. _

Five minutes later Santana was pushing open the door to the coffee house Rachel had offered to meet at earlier. The place was small and cozy, and smelled like a caffeinated heaven. "Santana, hey!" she saw the diva stand up and wave towards her. With a few fast steps, she made her way to Rachel's table and was soon attacked by Rachel with a bone-crushing hug. _Kill me and I haunt you. I dare you midget. _"Berry." Santana managed to at least get Rachel to release her hold on her so she could breathe. "If you wanted to strangle me, you should have said so. I would have come prepared."

"Nice to see you're still your own cheerful self Santana. Come on, sit. This place has lattes that are to die for." Without giving the Latina any chance to respond, the brunette placed an order for her. "Now, tell me all about your new job. How are you liking New York? Isn't it everything you ever wanted and dreamed of? Do you get to sing a lot? How are the ti-"

"Breathe, Berry." Santana couldn't help but find the brunette's usual behavior comforting. True, the city was amazing and Santana was glad that she was finally out of Lima. The was a city girl, she needed her space, she needed to be able to go out and do whatever she felt like doing at any time she wanted to. New York had a lot to offer, but it was also probably the most relentless and competitive place she had ever been in. The other waitresses at the bar she was working at would kill her in a heartbeat if it meant that they could take her place on stage singing and get away with it. Santana looked at the brunette and the genuine look of curiosity on her face. Rachel Berry was the most competitive and ambitious person she had ever met. But she was a friend. More importantly, she could be an ally in this city. Someone that she could trust.

She took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing. _"Life in the city has been good so far, and the job pays well, with the tips and whatnot. But it is so different from Lima, you know. I mean you're still in school and shit but I'm out there in the real world and it is hard out there." She hesitated for a second, but decided to go through with what she had to say. "I sometimes find myself a little overwhelmed by it all, if you know what I mean. It's not like there is a guideline to follow to become famous overnight." She ended with a sigh.

Rachel was about to say something when a waiter brought Santana her latte. Instead of speaking, she nodded and took a deep sip from her own cup.

"What, no insights about that, midget?" Even though it would kill her to admit it out loud, Santana really did want Rachel to say something reassuring. The diva knew talent when she saw it, _hell she is talent personified, _and despite her competitive edge, she could appreciate others.

"I don't know what you want me to say Santana. I would be lying if I said I knew how it was out there. I don't know how this works either. I'm just trying to survive school and hoping that I get cast into a play before I graduate so I don't lose much time before I go on to win my EGOT." The brunette answered in one breath.

"Your what?"

"My EGOT, Santana. Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. The four great awards that every performer dreams of receiving." Santana involuntarily rolled her eyes at this.

"How do you stay so optimistic about this Berry? You always talk about stuff like this as if they are set in stone."

"What else can I do? Sit and mope around all day because one day my dreams might not come true? I just have to do my best, and the rest will follow. I have to believe in that." _She does have a point. _When Rachel looked up and faced Santana again, she saw the hint of something in the Latina's eyes, something strangely similar to respect. "So, I would like to apologize again that I didn't call sooner. But you know how life here can get, I've been trying to do everything I guess, classes, extra practices, sightseeing, socializing…"

"Yeah yeah, I know. It's fine Berry. Not like I tried to reach you earlier, either." Rachel looked at her, with surprise evident on her face. They both knew that this was as close as they would get to an apology. "So, what's this talk about Q? Did you really talk to her?" Santana asked, raising an eyebrow. She had always been a little confused about the relationship between her best friend and the diva. _It does make sense, _she thought, _they were both kinda lonely during highschool. Both are over-achievers, obviously. _But there was still something between the two girls that was eluding her.

Santana was lost in thought as Rachel kept on telling the other brunette about her weekend with Quinn. "…and I got to see all the amazing places around the campus. Then Quinn took me to a karaoke bar." _Wait, what?_ _Now, I did not see that coming. _Santana nodded, a knowing smirk forming on her face. She made a mental note to call the blonde and check in sometime soon. It apparently had been way too long.

"So are you two like best friends now?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. It was her best Quinn imitation, one that she was proud of.

"No… I mean, maybe in the future. Not that I don't want to be her best friend. It's just that we haven't been friends for long. I mean who wouldn't want to be that close to Quinn? Not that being best friends would entail a close physical proximity." Rachel blurted out. Her cheeks were slightly pink, she was blushing. _Now that is interesting. _Santana just nodded, waiting for the brunette to dig her own grave. "I guess what I'm trying to say is Quinn is someone I am lucky to have as a friend. But your spot as her best friend is safe Santana. You have nothing to worry about." Rachel finished her words, mentally congratulating herself for making sense in the end.

"Oh, trust me, I am not the one to worry." Santana said with a devilish smile on her lips. Rachel could see the beginnings of an evil plot forming in the other brunette's mind. That certainly made the diva nervous. _Oh-oh, I know that look. That look is trouble. What did I say? What is she going to do? What if she tells Quinn that I don't want to be her friend? That was not what I meant at all, _without even realizing, she huffed.

"Relax Berry, your secret is safe with me." Santana said, and stood up. Rachel was clearly confused.

"What secret?" She inquired, getting up after the Latina. "Santana?"

"Oh this is gonna be so much fun." Santana muttered under her breath. "Thanks for the coffee, midget. We should do this again." And with that, she left, leaving a very confused and distraught Rachel Berry behind.

_What is she up to? _That was the only thing Rachel could think about. Suddenly, all the good feelings remaining from her visit to the blonde were replaced by the anxiety caused by Santana. _Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to tell Santana about this at all, _she thought. _What if Quinn wanted to keep the visit a secret? What if she didn't want her other friends to know about our relationship? No. That sounds wrong. Our friendship. I guess friendships are a kind of relationship though. A relationship of the friendly kind. Yes. That sounds right. _She dropped some bills on the table and hastily left the coffe shop. As she made her way back to her dorm, only one question remained in her mind: _What secret?_

_**Coming up in the following chapters: **__Santana decides to see things for herself and crashes Quinn's visit to NY. Rachel and Quinn dance around the friend zone some more. Frustration. Frustration. Frustration. Santana being Santana. A well-kept secret comes out. _


	5. The Hang Up

**A/N: First of all, I'm sorry for the late update, again. But in my defence, I did relocate to a different country this week. So when I usually write fiction, I always go with descriptions or emotional states first, and the dialogue seems to follow from that. However, this time around the dialogue came first. Perhaps it was the lack of Faberry interaction in the last chapter or the fact that I had been thinking about a way to make them interact until the next chapter where they will actually be meeting in person again. Whatever the reason, I quite like the way this chapter turned out. So thanks for the follows, faves and the reviews. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

**Chapter 5: Intentions**

As the winter neared, life in New Haven was getting more and more enjoyable for Quinn Fabray. Fall had always been her favorite season after all, she loved watching the leaves fall on the ground, the crunchy noise they made while she walked, the weather slowly progressing from cold to freezing. She loved the rain, the loved the rainstorms and she definitely loved the snow. Even though her midterms were upon her with full force, the blonde was happy exactly where she was.

It was one Friday afternoon when her phone started buzzing furiously. She had ignored it the first time, thinking it was a text and that it could wait until she was done with her readings for the day, but the continuous buzzing let her know that someone was actually calling her. She answered immediately when she saw the caller ID. A wide smile spread around her face. Before she could even say hi, the voice at the other end of the call was already speaking to her.

"I have had the most interesting conversation with one Santana Lopez the other day." Quinn tried to contain her smile as she realized Rachel had indeed taken up her suggestion to talk to the Latina. At that point, she didn't even think about scolding the brunette about not saying hi.

"Really? So you finally called her?" she asked, genuinely curious. _Hope it didn't go too bad. What if it did? What if she listened to me and regretted it? What if she called to tell me that she's mad at me? It was bad advice. I should keep my mouth shut- _

"Yes, Quinn, and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by her behavior. She wasn't as bad as I thought she would be, kind even." _- wait. Kind? What…?_

"Santana? Kind? Now I know you are lying." Her voice was light, making sure the brunette knew that she was kidding, but the confusion was clear. She heard the brunette sigh at that.

"Well, not kind perhaps, but pleasant? For once, we had a conversation without it turning into a spat." _That's… not suspicious at all_, the blonde shook her head to clear her mind of all the things that could go wrong if Santana had an ulterior motive.

"That's… nice." As soon as the words left her mouth, Quinn knew that she was far from being convincing. She wasn't even surprised when she heard the brunette's worried voice mere seconds after that.

"Quinn? What's wrong?"

"Are you sure she's not plotting something against you?" There was a moment's silence then. Then the brunette's voice exploded in Quinn's ear.

"Quinn Fabray! Are you inisuating that people can't be nice to me without plotting something against me?" Quinn cursed herself mentally for unintentionally offending the brunette. It was really the last thing she ever wanted to do.

"No, Rach…"

"What is your angle here Quinn? Because if I remember correctly you were quite nice to me recently as well." Quinn Fabray knew that the brunette tended to lash out when she was hurt. And honestly, at that moment, she was more angry with herself for making Rachel feel insecure than hurt because of her words. _Here I go again, fucking up the one good thing in my life, _she thought with a frown.

"Rach… I don't want you to get hurt again." _Because I've already hurt you enough, _she wanted to add, _just let me protect you from all hurt from now on. _But those were the words she couldn't say. Those were the words that would complicate an already complex situation.

"Well, you sure are doing a great job at that." Those were the last words Rachel told her before the line went silent.

The brunette's voice was harsher than Quinn remembered it being when she replayed the conversation over and over in her mind later that night.

* * *

Rachel Berry hated the fall. She hated the way she always seemed to forget her umbrella when she needed it the most, she hated the way the humid weather effected her already high maintenance hair, she hated the way she never seemed to get warm enough and she definitely hated the way the dark sky put her in a foul mood.

The argument she and Quinn had earlier on the phone was not helping to improve her mood either. Deep down, she knew she was being irrational. She was just letting Santana get to her with that comment about the secret. Quinn had only been watching out for her. She should have been happy that she now had someone to look out for her, someone that she could rely on. Quinn would never let her get hurt again, she knew that. She just needed to remind herself of the fact every once in a while. _I really hate this distance thing, _she thought, _definitely not helping with my trust issues. _

So it was finally 3 am when the brunette decided to do something about her problem when it became apparent that she could not go to sleep no matter what she did. She sighed, relieved, when the blonde answered her call.

"Yes?" Quinn sounded quite awake and impatient.

"That wasn't fair to you." Rachel admitted, swallowing her pride. She needed to sort this out, _I need my sleep before my classes damn it!_, and she would do anything to do so.

"And?" The brunette frowned. Quinn was not making this any easier on her. But at least her voice sounded softer this time, encouraging even. So she went on.

"I apologize. But you have to stop assuming that everyone is out to get me, Quinn. I'm paranoid enough for the both of us." This earned the brunette a chuckle from Quinn. She was about to continue when the blonde cut in.

"I know. And I have to apologize as well, Rach. It's just… It's Santana, you know. I mean I know that you both ended up on good terms by the graduation and I know I was the one to suggest that you get in touch with her but still… I was such a bitch to you in highschool for the most time and I don't want to see you hurt like that ever again. Rach, I care about you." Rachel's breath caught in her throat. _She cares about me, _she thought, _she really cares about me. _Then she frowned to herself, trying to think logically. _She is my friend and friends care about each other, right? _She realized she had to say something soon when Quinn cleared her throat, urging her.

"I- I know. I know you intended well." _I care about you, too. So much. More than what would be appropriate for friends probably. _

"So, we're good? You're not gonna hang up on me again, will you? I didn't even think it was possible to perform a storm-out on the phone, to be honest." With that comment about the tiny diva's signature storm-out moves, the tension surrounding the phone call dissipated. They would be fine. They were always fine.

"Well, I do have my talents."

"That you do, Rach."

"Quinn?"

"Yes, Rachel?"

"I care about you, too."

* * *

"Hey."

"Hey! How's life in NY?"

"Life. Is. Boring." Rachel replied as she threw herself on her bed. Her day seemed to be getting longer and longer. Though she'd never admit it, the ever-energetic diva was having a hard time keeping herself optimistic.

"What's wrong?" Rachel's features softened at the soft and worried tone of the blonde. _How does she always do that?_

"I have an unreasonable amount of homework to deal with in just three days and there would have been even more if it weren't for my superb organizational skills." Even her retort back was delivered with less rigour than she usually managed. Life at NYADA, although it was really fun, was physically exhausting. _Maybe I should just clone myself. But my Rachel-clone wouldn't be allowed to attend classes, obviously. I don't need more competition than I already have. Yeap, cloning it is. _She was brought back to the earth by a certain blonde's voice.

"Can I help? Tell me what I can do for you and I'll do it." And Rachel knew that it was the truth. She didn't know exactly when her unbreakable faith in Quinn was born, but she did trust her. And she knew Quinn would always keep her promises.

"You already are." _Way to go mind. I really do need a filter sometimes. _

"What do you mean?" Quinn's voice sounded almost hopeful then. _No, not hopeful. Why would she be hopeful anyway? I'm reading too much into things._

"You're distracting me from my misery right now and it helps." Rachel replied, trying to keep her voice extra non-chalant.

"Rach?"

"Yes, Quinn?"

"If I'm distracting you from your misery, does that mean I make you happy?"

"Yes." _You make me happier than you'll ever know._

* * *

It was later that night when the brunette's phone went off again. Without even saying hi, Quinn cut to the chase. She was driving herself crazy trying to figure out what had happened a few days ago. "You know you still haven't told me what you and Santana talked about, right?"

"It was nothing Quinn. Really." _Nothing? Nothing?! Damn if I let Santana get to you before I do. And then she'd never have a chance with you, ever, because I wouldn't let you go. Wait… what? Oh well… _

"Well you didn't seem to think so at the moment. So, tell me all about it. I promise I'll be open minded about Santana's intentions." _Or at least make sure that they are honorable._

"God, you make it sound like she's secretly trying to court me Quinn." Rachel said, her tone all too cheerful to be angry.

"…" _She IS psychic._

"Quinn?!"

"Well… You just never know with Santana…"

"You are unbelievable. I will be storming off this conversation now. Don't call me until you're ready to be mature about this."

"But Rach…"

"Bye Quinn." This time, it was Quinn who ended up huffing and stomping her foot on the floor even though there was nobody around to see.

The next morning, Rachel ignored the first five calls and eight messages Quinn sent her. Not wanting to send the blonde into full panic mode, she answered the sixth call, deciding to show some mercy.

"Are you still mad at me?" Quinn's voice was small, but hopeful.

"…" _Not gonna make this easy on you Fabray. Let's see you grovel for once._

"Come on Rach, I have apologized to you profusely over the last hour. I don't think this is fair considering that I was only thinking about your well being and emotional state. I have been hearing about Santana's 'conquests' for too long not to be worried about something like that. I mean anyone with eyes can appreciate your figure and I think even though she can be quite sadistic towards you at times, Santana actually likes you as a person so I don't think I was being that unreasonable. So please just talk to me or help me God I will continue texting until your phone breaks down and we both know how much you depend on that appliance." _Oh my God… Is she…_

"Quinn?" …_ she was rambling. Quinn Fabray rambles now. Wow. _

"Rach?"

"I think you were just rambling there for a while."

"…"

"But I do forgive you, so it's all well."

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"I think it was this gorgeous blonde head cheerleader, who also happens to be one of my greatest friends who once suggested that 'it's all about the teasing, but not pleasing'."

"You are insane, you know that right?"

"You love me for it, though."

"Yes, I do." _If only you'd meant it. _When they ended the call, they were both smiling to themselves.

* * *

"So I decided to call up Santana on my own and ask her what happened when you two met. Just thought you should know."

"To be frank, Quinn, I am surprised that you haven't already done so."

"So you're okay with it?"

"Would it stop you if I weren't?"

"It would."

"Really?"

"I wish you would stop underestimating our friendship one of these days, Rachel."

"You have my blessing to call up Santana and pester her for the details of our coffee date."

"So it was a date then?"

"You're too easy, Fabray. Too easy. I can't believe you ever made head Cheerio."

* * *

"Q! It's been a while. How's that stick up your ass doing?"

"Ah, Satan, as pleasant as always. I knew I shouldn't have taken Rachel's word on it."

"So you're already on a first name basis with the midget? That's new."

"Shut up. We both know that you only act as if you dislike her, so drop the act, will you? And she's not that shorter than you, you know?"

"Oh no, you did not just go there, blondie."

"So, how was your coffee date with Berry?"

"It was… enlightening, to say the least."

"How come?"

"Well now, it wouldn't be half as much fun if I just told you before you saw it for yourself, would it Q?"

"San!"

"It was lovely talking to you, too, blondie. Don't wait too long to call again."

"SAN!"

* * *

"Why does Santana seem to know something about you that I don't know?"

"That was the interesting part of the conversation Quinn. If you hadn't so immaturely caused me to put an end to our conversation I would have told you that after we had talked about living in NY and how hard it was to make it here, she had inisuated that I had a secret that she was privy to and I simply do not know what she could be meaning by that. I was hoping that you would be able to extract that information from her but clearly, you have failed."

"She is up to something. I can just feel it."

"Quinn?"

"Yeah?"

"Your paranoia is showing." The brunette hung up after that.

Quinn just shut her eyes, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling in her stomach.


	6. Stars and An Eventful Night

**A/N: Is there any excuse for leaving a fic so long without updating? I guess not. Oh well. I hope to be able to update more regularly from now on but again, life has a way of intervening whenever it feels like doing so. With that said, please enjoy.**

Chapter 6: Stars and an Eventful Night

83.3 miles. All that time spent on a train, keeping herself busy by trying to read and listening to the depths of her ipod, Quinn Fabray was proving no better than one Rachel Berry when it came to patience. It was December already, and soon it would be Christmas break and she would see Rachel in Lima anyway. But she still could not stop herself from getting on a train when the thought hit her. The next time she saw Rachel would be in Lima, Ohio. The place she hadn't visited since she graduated. The place she was afraid to go back to.

Fear. Quinn Fabray was afraid of many things, although she would not be happy to admit the fact. Her biggest fears these days were being lonely all her life and coming out to her mother, respectively. _It says a lot that I can bear dying an old sour spinster rather than telling my mother I'm gay, _she thought. She hated being full of fear, all the time, but she felt like she was unable to do anything about it.

The blonde sighed and checked her watch before going back to her book. She had about fifteen minutes to go. Fifteen long minutes, going slowly as if the universe was mocking her. Fifteen more minutes, and then she'd be in New York, finally, to surprise the brunette. She smiled to herself, thinking about the ways in which Rachel would react. She would hug the blonde, for sure. She would even squel, maybe, if she was really surprised. Quinn's smile turned into a huge grin just thinking about being wrapped in the arms of the brunette.

About ten minutes later, she was already on the platform, checking her phone to see how to get to the building Rachel was currently at. _Thank God for Foursquare and Rachel's internet addiction,_ she thought to herself, _now this is not stalkerish behavior at all._ Regardless, she was climbing up the stairs of the old brownstone building soon. She stopped in front of the auditorium. The door was open and she could see people going up onto the stage one by one and delivering a small monologue. She hesitated for one short moment before making up her mind and entering the room.

_Now all I have to do is to wait for her to get on stage, _she thought while scanning the crowd to find the brunette and failed. She left her bag on the floor, and got comfortale. _This might take a while. Ugh these losers have nothing on Rachel Berry. Seriously, I can't believe how insecure she is about the competition he-…_

"Up on the stage blondie." An old woman with a no-nonsense attitude nudged her with a cane.

"What? No, I can't. I'm not here for the class actually. I'm not even a student here," she tried to explain, but to no avail.

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard all the excuses. You're just here to see a friend, aren't you?" If Quinn weren't already in full panic mode, she would laugh at the irony of the situation.

"Yes!" Quinn exclaimed instead, frustrated beyond belief.

"Good try, blondie. Up, you go." The next thing Quinn knew was that she was being pushed towards the stage, in front of a class full of NYADA freshmen, and possibly, one Rachel Berry. _I can't do this. I can't do this… Oh God, I have to do this. I can't just turn around and run out of the room now. It's too late for that. What if Rachel gets mad at me? What if… _Before she had a chance to finish that train of thought, she was at the center of the stage and the spotlight was on her face. She could swear she heard someone gasp, and it was noone other than the brunette herself, but she was too occupied to seek her out. As she had no way out now, she might as well make the best out of it.

"This might be a little different from what you guys do here, but I will be reciting a passage from one of my favorite books of all time," she said, her voice trembling. She paused for a moment, took a deep breath and continued, "I'm Quinn Fabray, by the way and I do not study here." The next thing that happened nearly took Rachel Berry's breath away. Quinn Fabray, in all her glory, stood on that stage and recited Shakespeare from memory like a seasoned actress.

* * *

Rachel Berry liked to think that she was prepared for each and every situation a student might face in the course of a class. Natural disasters, fire, even a hostage situation or a shooting. Quinn Fabray appearing in the middle of Carmen Tibideaux's class on stage and proceeding to recite Shakespeare, _The Taming of The Shrew, _from memory, however, was not on the list of things Rachel was prepared for.

_That definitely deserves its own category, _was all she could think while watching the blonde own the stage. _She deserves her own special category. My God, she's good. I wonder if this is one of those dreams where I wake up just as she comes down and kisses me. Not that I had one of those. In a long time. Not the best time to be thinking of these thoughts probably. What if it's one of those dreams where you realize you're naked in front of a crowd? Am I naked? No. Pants, shirt, sweater, all check. _It was only when the blonde came down and finally made eye contact in a hesitant manner thatRachel realized this was in fact not a dream, but reality.

"I can't believe that actually happened!" Rachel was waiting for her down the stage when Quinn finally stepped down as gracefully as possible. Then the brunette basically threw herself at Quinn and enveloped her in a hug which made whole thing seem even more unreal. _I think I like this hug-initiating Quinn very much. _"You have a lot to explain, Fabray," she tried, her happy voice betraying the serious look on her face.

"Well… I wanted to surprise you." Quinn offered lamely and stuffed her hands in her jeans' pockets.

"Much as I appreciate the dramatic nature of a grand surprise like this, next time, sweetie, let's go for something less dramatic." _Did I really just call her sweetie? What is wrong with me?!_ Upon hearing the word sweetie from the brunette, all Quinn could do was to nod and try to look like she weren't hyperventilating. _Oh God, she just went quiet. Quiet Quinn is scary Quinn. Say something. _"So, Shakespeare, huh?" Rachel's tone was trembling slightly. "Should have known you'd be a fan of the classics." _Way to be eloquent Berry¸_she chastised herself.

Somehow, despite the situation Quinn managed to raise one eyebrow – her signature move, as if daring Rachel to contradict her on this. "They are classics for a reason Rach. Also, figured if I did something good, there would be less chance of me getting in trouble for it."

"We'll see about that" was all Rachel offered in turn. "What on earth possessed you to get on that stage Quinn? I thought you hated being in the spotlight. I mean it was courageous and your performance was considerably good with a few critical points that could be improved but still… " Rachel rambled on. "Most people I know here would do anything to avoid going on that stage only to be judged by the legendary Carmen Tibideaux."

"Oh, so that's who she was." Quinn said, finally making the connection between the main theme of many conversations Rachel and she had had over the phone the past month and the old lady with the cane. "She was the one who made me do it. I mean, I was just going to sit and wait until I saw you, but then she forced me to go on stage. I tried to explain but she wouldn't let me."

"Well… it makes more sense now. And you do have the looks of a young actress with a bright future ahead," Rachel smiled at the blonde, causing her to swoon a little bit. "So, what are you doing here? I didn't forget that you were visiting this week, did I?" _What if I did? I mean I know that the workload of my classes are reaching a ridiculous amount as we near the Christmas holidays but I couldn't have forgotten that she was going to visit, could I? _She panicked as her thoughts went on and on in this manner, and missed Quinn's soft reply. "Excuse me?" she found herself asking Quinn to repeat it.

"I said I just really missed you." Quinn wasn't even looking at her in the eye anymore, but still she found it unbelievably cute that the blonde would take the time to visit her just because she missed her. _She missed me. She really missed me enough that she got on a train and visited me. _A frown appeared on her face as she tried to stop herself from assuming too much. "Are you angry at me for suddenly appearing like this?" Quinn asked, noticing the change in the brunette's expression.

"No!" _NO! GOD NO. How can you tell someone that you feel like you are the happiest person on the earth and the only reason you feel that way is that they missed you? Or how do you say all that and not make things awkward? _"I'm glad that you're here Quinn. I missed you, too!" _That will have to do for now._

They then proceeded to walk arm in arm to Rachel's dorm, making small talk. If you asked them later on neither one would have an idea who offered their arm to the other first, but the very simple gesture of touching in such an innocent way was exciting and scary at the same time for the both girls.

* * *

Soon, Quinn was sitting on the brunette's bed wondering if they would be sleeping in the same bed as they did when the brunette visited her in Yale. She looked at the other bed in the room, belonging to Rachel's roommate and made a mental note to ask Rachel later where her roommate was. She was woken from her thoughts when she heard Rachel's voice directed at her.

"Quinn, you need to tell me what you want to do while you're here since you caught me off guard and for once I do not have anything planned for your visit. Not that I would ever let that stop me from being an impeccable host to you, but still you need to provide me with ample information about your mood so I can start planning accordingly."

Quinn just tilted at her head and gave the brunette an amused look. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" the brunette was taken aback.

"How do you manage to sound so considerate and serious at the same time?" and before her mind could catch up with her mouth, the blonde added, "And how do you know so many words? I'm supposed to be the literature geek here." _I did not just say that out loud. Oh well. _

"Well Quinn, to answer your first question, I do take planning very seriously and I do want you to have a good time." The brunette paused, then continued. "And I might have spent a little bit too much time with a thesaurus trying to write songs when I was younger." The confession made Quinn blush. It seemed like something private, something that the brunette did not freely share with everyone.

"Then I'd like to have a quiet evening with one Rachel Berry with adequate amounts of food, if that's possible." The blonde's tone was playful, even flirty as she words left her mouth. And she knew it was worth all the homework cramming, last minute packing and the impossibly long train ride when the brunette flashed her a blinding smile. _She is worth everything._

**Liked it? Hated it? Want to beat me with a stick for being such a lazy ass and not updating? All comments are appreciated.**


	7. Confessions

Chapter 7: Confessions

**A/N: Two, maybe three more chapters to go. Bear with me. Also, I've managed to survive the first semester of grad school. How cool is that? *happy face* Thanks for sticking around for this story.**

"So Yale must be a fresh breath for you after highschool. Really, Quinn, that poem... your performance was amazing. Who knew you were such a romantic at heart?" They had ended up ordering in Thai food. Now, the two girls were sprawled on the floor, picking at the remains of their food. "Everybody in that room was enchanted."

"Enchanted?" Quinn chuckled. "Seriously, Rachel, all that impressive vocabulary and the word you come up with is enchanted."

"Well, they were!" Rachel objected, with a smile. She wasn't really offended, it was just teasing. They seemed to be doing that a lot lately. She couldn't help herself around the blonde, she needed reassurance that they indeed shared a special bond, she needed to see that Quinn could see beyond her words and joke around with her. "Besides, you'e the one who practically looks like a Disney princess."

"I don't know whether to be offended or amused by that Rach." Rachel decided she looked more amused than offended, so she continued.

"Well, you do!" She had that look in her eyes again, the one she got whenever Quinn tried to put herself down. "You are amazing, Quinn. You really are. And now I have a room full of people to testify for that."

"Testify. Right. I'm guessing you've been stressing over your classes and staying up to watch Law&Order at night again." She chuckles again. "Yale is really great Rach. But I do miss you a lot." _What?! _ She immediately chided herself. _Be more sappy, I dare you._

"You do?" asked Rachel, her eyes wide with something close to hope and fear. _No backing down now, Fabray. _

"Yeah. I mean, I do have friends at Yale, and I do enjoy hanging out with them but there's just so many things that they don't know about me, and things that they wouldn't understand. You've always been there Rach. I feel like..." _My heart is trying to bust out of my chest whenever I'm around you._

"You feel like what, Quinn?" The brunette asked, almost whispering. She was afraid of letting the moment go. _This IS a moment, right? I can't be imagining things. Maybe I'm just going crazy. Yeap, the blonde rollercoaster that we call Quinn has finally broken me. It's official folks! Rachel Barbra Berry is..._

"I feel like I can be myself around you. I feel like I don't have to constantly explain myself, or apologize for the way I am. You're... you're my person Rach. You really are." _Sappiness level: Quinn Fabgay, achieved. _

Rachel looked at Quinn, not even daring to breathe for a moment. "You're my person too Quinn." She gave the blonde's hand a small squeeze, and then did not let go, letting her palm rest over Quinn's delicate hand. _Maybe I'm not imagining things after all. _"So, what do you say we watch a movie?" _I'm holding her hand. I'm holding her hand and she'll think I'm coming on to her and then I'll have screwed everything up. How can I screw everything up when there isn't even anything to begin with?_

"Sounds great to me." Quinn answers, and laces her fingers through Rachel's. _She is holding my hand. _They both let out the breaths they had been holding in.

* * *

Somewhere along the movie that was playing on Rachel's tiny tv – they had both stopped paying attention a while ago – Quinn turned to face Rachel full on. It took the tiny diva a couple of moments to notice the change in the mood. Without a word, she paused the movie and turned so she was looking at the blonde, and waited.

"Rach?" _C'mon Fabray. Man up. You can do this. But... No buts. Just say it. _

Rachel kept watching the blonde, marvelling at the torrent of emotions visible on her face. "Yes, Quinn?" It was taking all that she had not to freak out.

"I... You remember when I told you that I could just be myself around you, right?"

"Quinn that was literally twenty minutes ago. Of course I do remember. I don't think I had a concussion in the meanwhile and I..." Panicked that the brunette seemed to be in the beginnings of a ramble, Quinn placed her hand over her mouth. "Quinn?! What are..."

"I need you to listen to me Rachel. Diva rants can follow later. But for five minutes or so, I need you to stay silent and let me speak." She kept looking the brunette in the eye to make her point, and let her hand fall limp on her lap. "Thank you." _Now or never. _"Even when we weren't friends in highschool, and I was trying to turn your life into a living hell, you always reached out to me Rachel. You never seemed to judge me or even dislike me. And now that's all that I have to trust because I'm scared that you'll be hurt by what I have to tell you. Or even worse, that you'll judge me. And there's a part of me that knows that it's so silly, that you're an amazing person, that you're pretty much the only real best friend I've ever had, and that you're almost always prepared for any occasion. So I just have to trust that, I have to trust that you're my friend and you'll understand. Because there are times that I feel like you're the only one who makes an effort to understand why I am the way I am. And mostly I have to trust you because I can't really keep this to myself, because I'm scared, and I'm confused and I need my best friend." Quinn took a deep breath. _I don't want to be alone again. _She looked into Rachel's eyes and found her anchor there. Rachel was always her anchor. She was the only one who could reach to her no matter how messed up and lost in her drama she became. Rachel was always the one with a rope to get her out. "Rach..." The brunette looked at her, her face full of worry. Quinn felt Rachel take her hand into her tiny one and squeeze it for encouragement. Then she nodded for her to continue. "Rachel, I'm gay."

It was comical, almost. After all the build-up, the fear and the worry, the proclamation from the blonde seemed anti-climactic. "You know I have two dads, right, Quinn?" she asked gently. "Why would you think that I would judge you for that?"

"I... just... you know how I was in highschool. You know how much of a hard time I gave to you when it came to your dads. I... don't know. I'm just so scared." And that was the moment. Even the ones who, like Quinn Fabray, with their built-up walls and the emotions buried deep inside break down sometimes. And when Quinn broke down, unable to control her sobs, Rachel Berry was there to envelop her in her arms and let her cry it all out.

* * *

"What a cry fest this night has turned out to be, right?" Quinn tried to joke her way out of the awkwardness as they made their way to Rachel's bed. Quinn had cried, then Rachel had cried, and then they had just held onto each other, trying to find comfort for a while and it wasn't until half an hour later that Rachel suggested that they would try to get some sleep and talk more in the morning. She was especially adamant about Quinn sleeping in the bed with her. _She's trying to prove to me that nothing has changed, _Quinn thought as she brushed her teeth and Rachel rambled on in the background. The blonde looked closer at herself in the mirror. _Good going Fabray. There's no way anyone could find you attractive like this._ Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, her nose was starting to feel like a foreign organism to her face, and mostly, she was embarrassed. _She's the girl you like, you moron. You're not supposed to use her as Kleenex. _"I'm sorry I cried on you Rach."

The blonde wasn't expecting the erupting laughter as a response, but she found herself grinning to the sound. "I can't believe you're apologizing for that Quinn. It's okay. It's always okay for you to come to me and cry about anything that's bothering you. I'm here for you." _Always. _

Quinn looked like a deer caught at headlights after hearing that. _Is this what it feels like having a stroke? _"I look like hell right now. So I apologize in advance if I scare you with my horrendous face in the middle of the night." _Yes. Joking is good. Joking is safe. _Rachel stepped towards her swiftly, got on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on her cheek. _I... She... I'M DEAD. _"Rach?"

"You couldn't look ugly if you tried Quinn. I honestly think you're incapable of looking less than incredibly beautiful." And with that, the brunette gathered her creams and tootbrush and left the bathroom, leaving behind an awestruck Quinn Fabray.


	8. The Morning After

Chapter 8: The Morning After

**A/N: Now that we're nearing the end, I am suddenly a lot more motivated to write. Hah. So, without further ado, please enjoy! **

It was almost the middle of the day when the girls were finally woken up by the sound of Rachel's phone ringing. "Rach..." the blonde groaned, "please make it stop." The brunette, being ever the morning person, sat up in her bed and tried to disentangle herself from the still half-unconscious blonde. _She looks so gorgeous even when she's just woken up. _"Rach!" _Oh yeah. The phone. _

"I'm getting it. You're not a morning person, are you?" Once she was out of the death grip the blonde was holding her in, Rachel practically pounced on her phone. _Oh shoot. "_Hi Santana!" she answered the call as chipper as possible. "How are you this beautiful morning, if I may ask?" The brunette kept her eyes fixed on the blonde, who was asleep again. _Are we okay? _She tried to asked telepathically. _Please let everything be okay. _She sent a prayer to the heavens that Santana wouldn't be able to tell something was off from her tone.

"I knew I should have just kept trying blondie's cell. What's up with her anyway? Why is she not answering? Oh Lord. You did it, didn't you?" Rachel's heart skipped a bit at that. "You talked her head off and she's dead." The brunette took a breath of relief, and chuckled.

"Quinn's fine, Santana. And you're still as pleasant as ever. She's still sleeping though. And you know, it's only polite to say hi back to the person you first contacted on the phone. It's just good phone ethiquette."

It took all the strength Santana had not to retort back with an insult. _I need to make new friends for the sake of my own sanity. _"Well, midget, wake her lazy ass up then! You two have until the evening to do whatever it is that you two do when you hangout and get it over with, because I owns both your asses tonight." Santana smirked to herself, being able to sense Rachel cringe on the other side of the line.

And she got the reply she expected in no time. "Santana! Language!"

"Whatever, Berry. You know you like it when I spice your oh so boring life up with my fierceness." _Damn right, I'm that good, _she thought, her smile growing.

"I'm going to hang up now. Text us with the details when you're ready to be civil, Santana." And with that, she disconnected the call. _Bless the hobbit and her storm outs. Who knew it was this easy to shut the hobbit up? _Santana dropped the phone back into her purse and started plotting in her own head with a wide grin on her face.

Meanwhile, Rachel was faced with a blonde, seemingly asleep, all sprawled on her bed. _Stop checking her out! She's your friend. She came out to you because she trusts you. You do not jump your friends just because they expressed an interest in the female sex. Speaking of sex... NO! STOP! But... I wonder what it would be like to have intercourse with Quinn on this bed. _Lost in her own thoughts and blushing profusely, the brunette hadn't even noticed Quinn stir up in the bed.

"You're staring." The blonde's voice was neither angry nor offended, maybe a little amused. She even giggled when Rachel was visibly startled out of her thoughts.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Quinn. I assure you I wasn't staring. I mean I guess I was but I wasn't oggling you. Not that your body isn't oggle-worthy because it definitely is, you're quite gorgeous really, but you must be feeling vulnerable after last night's conversation and it was not my intention to make you uncomfortable in anyway or objectify your body." The brunette was blushing so hard by this point, Quinn thought she might actually match the color of a tomato soon. _I wonder if she's blushing because of the lack of oxygen or just because she's embarrassed. She looks so cute when she's all worked up and rambling like this though. Ahem... anyway. Focus, Fabray. Just because she took the news so well, it doesn't mean that she wants something more. I mean she's probably not even into girls at all so what's the point? _ "I mean I appreaciate the female body as much as the next person, and I have always considered myself open to the exploration of sapphic desires, but that doesn't mean I automatically have the right to..." _WHAT?! Well, that was... unexpected. Though, not really... But still. I should probably interrupt her before she explodes. _

"Rach?" the brunette stopped mid-ramble when she heard Quinn's voice.

"Yes, Quinn?" her reply was unusually high-pitched, probably because her mind was now on overdrive with thoughts of Quinn and explorations of sapphic desire and the combination of the two. _Why can't I, for once, behave like a normal human being around her? I mean seriously. It's just a crush. I've had crushes before. _

"Good morning." And with that, the blonde got out of the bed and grabbed her bag full of toiletries. Just before she left the room, she turned around and flashed the still blushing brunette a blinding smile. _A gorgeous, amazing, breath-taking crush._

* * *

"So..." _Great opening line there, Fabray. Smooth. _They were now sitting uncomfortably in Rachel's dorm room, wide awake. The awkwardness they were too emotionally spent to face the night before was suffocating them.

The brunette replied with an encouraging smile and a simple "So." _You're not gonna make this easy on me, are you? _

"Rach, are we okay?" Quinn was scared. She hated admitting that to herself, she hated times like this when she felt she was about to fall into pieces for no reason. She knew, on a logical level, that Rachel was okay with all this. But that didn't change the fact that the brunette was the first person she actually came out to. And Quinn couldn't help herself but freak out about it. She thought about the night before and how Rachel had held her until she was done with her ugly sobbing, stroking her hair and just letting her get it all out. Then the brunette had grabbed her hand and dragged her to the bed with herself, dismissing the blonde's protests with a wave of her hand and a simple (and amused) "I trust you not to jump me while I'm asleep Quinn." After all the crying, and the emotional turmoil that had led to the moment, it hadn't taken the blonde long to fall asleep. She was, however, awaken at some point in the night, feeling the brunette pull her closer and wrap her arms around her, and whispering "It's gonna be okay. I know you don't really believe me now, but it will". Quinn had never wanted to believe in something more in her life before.

So Rachel was obviously okay with everything, but Quinn still needed a confirmation now that she was feeling relatively sane again. _Not that those tight jeans are helping. Damn Rach._

"Of course we are." Rachel's reply was so soft, the blonde almost missed it. And she might have as well, if it weren't for the fact that the brunette, in less then two seconds, managed to close the gap between them and hugged her. "We are more than okay," she added, "Okay?"

"Okay." They both chuckled at that, still not breaking the hug, needing the connection.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily, blondie." Quinn lifted her head off the brunette's shoulder and gave her a bewildered look. "Yeah, you heard it. I called you blondie. Get over it." And with that Rachel tightened her already impossibly tight hold on the blonde. _How do you make everything okay, just like that? _Quinn felt her heart flutter in her chest.

Rachel was determined to hug the blonde as long as she could take. She needed her to understand that they were okay. She needed the blonde to trust her to stand by her, to realize that she didn't have to face the world alone anymore. She was there for her. She would always be there for her.

"Uh... Rach?" the brunette stepped a little back when she realized the blonde trying to get out of her death grip. "Did you just vibrate?"

"What? Oh sorry. It's my phone." _Obviously. _"Santana just texted. She says we and our behinds are to meet her up at a club at 10 pm." Quinn raised an eyebrow at that. "She might have used a more inappropriate word than behinds though."

"Now that sounds more like the Santana we all know and love," replied Quinn. Rachel looked confused for a moment.

"Can I... Can I ask you something?" Quinn felt the awkwardness and the tension fill up the room again. _Uh-oh. That doesn't sound so good. I guess I owe her that much though. _

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead." Quinn said, bracing herself for whatever question Rachel had in mind for her.

"Do you have a crush on Santana?" _I was NOT expecting that. _Quinn couldn't help but laugh at the idea, which only made Rachel more restless. "I mean Santana had been hinting at a secret for a while now, so I just assumed..."

Realizing that the brunette was actually serious, Quinn hastily replied. "NO. Rach... God no. Can you imagine me and Santana together? We wouldn't survive two days as a couple. I mean she's hot and all but... just no. She's not my type."

The brunette's face lit up at that. "What is your type then?"

_YOU. _"I... I don't know," was all Quinn could manage.

"You don't know?" Rachel seemed to be amused by that. _I do know, but I can't just as well say it now, can I? _

"It's all so new Rach. I guess I was too busy trying to get out of my own head space to be okay with everything that I didn't have time to think about anything else..."

"So, you've never..." _OH GOD. STOP._

"Never," Quinn didn't even wait for the brunette to finish her question. She wasn't sure she could prevent herself from passing out if she did.

"Not even..." _KILL ME NOW. _

"Nothing. With any girl. Ever." The blonde could feel her face and ears getting hotter by the minute.

"Oh." Rachel was surprised, to say the least. She couldn't see how it was possible, the blonde was blindingly beautiful, to put it simply. Surely, women must have propositioned her before. Rachel made a mental note to ask Quinn if she was still practicing chastity later on.

"Oh?" _Is she disappointed? What the..._

Rachel was so lost in the idea of Quinn still practicing chastity that she didn't realize she was thinking out loud. "I've never had any experience with a girl, either." Quinn choked on air while Rachel looked mortified at the sentence that had left her mouth two seconds ago. Quinn felt herself get hot all over again, and she was almost sure the brunette was blushing profusely again. She forced a comforting smile to the brunette, while screaming internally.

Quinn decided to change the topic. "Let's go get something to eat. I have a feeling Satan's plans for tonight won't include dinner."

"Great idea!" replied Rachel, a little too enthusiastically. She grabbed her purse and coat. In less than five seconds, she was exiting the room. Quinn stood in the middle of the room by herself, still unbelieving at the way the weekend seemed to be progressing.

_God help me survive tonight._

* * *

**Thoughts? Loved it? Hated it? Did I manage to make you laugh? Should I give myself a pat on the back? Should I kick myself (not too hard though, I'm sensitive)? I heart reviews.**


	9. Night Out

**Chapter 9: Night Out**

**A/N: First of all, a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed. I was dealing with my finals and super stressed when I read them and they actually made me smile like an idiot for a while. THANKS. This chapter was kinda ready – at least the dialogues were, and then another fic came and took over my life. But I'm back. So yeah. Enjoy! **

**Ps. I'm lowering the rating down to T, since I don't think we will be going where the M rating is needed. Maybe one day, I will actually be able to write smut without making myself constantly face-palm. Until then, sorry to disappoint.**

* * *

_I should have known, _Quinn thought to herself. She and Santana had been friends for almost a decade now. So she really should have known something was up when Santana greeted them with a sly grin on her face. If that wasn't telling enough, Quinn should have realized it when Santana actually addressed Rachel with her name. _No nicknames. When has that ever happened? Stupid, stupid brain. _So Quinn leaned back against the wall and mentally berated herself as she watched Rachel try to fend of yet another hot lesbian who was currently hitting on her.

_A freaking gay club. Maybe Santana is right. Maybe she really can sense it. Damn. _The blonde watched Santana chat up a few girls at the bar and dance with them. _Is that even dancing? She's basically having public sex. Is my face on fire? I feel as if my face was on fire. I wonder if anybody else can tell if I'm gay. _

"Oh my god. That woman wouldn't take no for an answer," Rachel made her way back to where the blonde was hiding with two blue drinks in her hands.

"What is that? It looks like some kind of cleaning liquid." The blonde grabbed one glass and investigated.

"We need it to survive here. Drink up." Quinn watched, amazed by the way the tiny brunette chugged the drink effortlessly. "I think I might like blue drinks very much."

"I think you might, as well," said the blonde, chuckling to herself. "I also think you should pace yourself."

"You know I had no idea she would bring us here, right? I haven't told her anything about… you know… what you told me last night in confidence. I wouldn't do that." Quinn just stared at Rachel, wondering if she did anything to make the brunette think she was mad at her.

"I know, Rach. This is pure Santana, anyway." She took a final sip of the toxic looking drink and grimaced. _How the hell did she chug this thing? Ew. _

"Are you okay?" _And she's being considerate again. I will never like a decent human being again, ever, if I can get over this one day. _

"Do I look like I'm okay?" Rachel blinked a couple of times when she heard the blonde's question. _No, you look like a sex goddess who can get any girl here with just one look. Wow, that blue thing was strong. I wonder what blue would taste like on Quinn. What, no. Someone make my hormones stop. I should probably say something. _

"Not really." She didn't really know what she was disagreeing with at the moment, but the face she received from Quinn indicated that the blonde found her answer amusing. _Amusing is good. Amusing means I did not embarrass myself. Good going self! Now. Act straight – no. I mean act sober. SOBER. Act sober. _

"Thanks for that." The blonde once again tore Rachel away from her thoughts.

"You know what I mean, Quinn." _I mean sober. Right? Did I even say it out loud? God it's so loud here. _"Would you like to leave?" Quinn was actually surprised at the question. The brunette seemed to be having quite a nice time judging by the smile on her face. Besides, she couldn't risk leaving now.

"And let Santana tease me about it for the rest of my life? Not really." _Or worse, tell me stop being such a pressed lemon once again. What does that even mean? Is that a sex metaphor? Why lemons? _Quinn stood there, waiting for Rachel to insist, but the brunette never did. She just nodded and stared at her eyes. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know what the brunette was thinking. She wanted to look away and keep looking into the brown eyes. She wanted to say something, but didn't know what or how. So she stared back.

"Quinn! Stop sexing Berry up over there." They both jumped when Santana seemed to appear out of nowhere. Rachel wondered just how long they had been staring at each other silently. "Come out and dance! We're gonna brings this club down!" And with that, Santana was lost in the crowd, once again.

"Could she be more crude?"

"She could. Believe me, she could."

* * *

Santana disentangled herself from the drunken blonde she met at the dance floor with difficulty and made her way to the bar. _I needs m__ore drinks. _She looked around to get the bartender's attention, but instead she found Rachel. The brunette seemed to be focusing all her attention at someone at the other end of the dance floor. _Berry making a love connection? Wanky. _She walked closer to her and leaned against the counter.

"What's up midget? Found anyone you like?" she asked with a devilish grin.

"I'm not here to hook up with anyone, Santana. And for your information, you're not that tall, either." _Ugh. A simple no would have done it. _She tried to glare at the brunette, but Rachel seemed way too preoccupied with the mystery blonde she was staring at. She decided to rile the brunette up to get information.

"But still, the bitches are dying to climb up all over this while you're getting wasted by yourself."

"Why oh why, must you be so crude?" _Seriously. Who speaks like that? That redhead seems familiar. Must have made out with her at some point. Who is she chatting up now? _She finally spotted the bartender and waved her hand to get her attention.

"It's part of my charm."

"That is a misconception," the brunette replied absent-mindedly. _How dare you, midget?!_

"You are a misconception!" _That sounded way better in my head. Oh well. _Santana grabbed her bottle of beer and took a sip. _Heaven in a bottle. Oh yeah. Come to mama. _

"Nice comeback."

"I'm tired. How can you still talk anyway? How many drinks have you had? Five? Six?" Santana tried to snap the brunette out of the trance she seemed to be in. _Who the fuck is that blonde with the superb ass? How have I never noticed her?_

"Lost count. And I have spent many years to perfect my verbal skills, Santana. A good performer – no, an excellent performer should always be eloquent, no matter what." Rachel did not even seem to be aware of the fact that she was speaking. But speaking, she was. Santana tried to suppress a yawn.

"Ay dios mio! Stop. You're giving me a premature hangover. Have you seen blondie?" _Wait a second. No. Can't be. Or can it? Quinn does have a marvelous ass._

"She's over there talking to that woman. Not that I care." _Oh wow. Interesting. That's one theory confirmed then._

"Jealous much?" Santana asked. Her tone was free of any malice. She was actually curious about the current emotional state of the little diva.

"Why would I be? She doesn't want to be here anyway." Rachel replied and then looked at Santana as if she just realized something. _What if she does want to be here? _

"Are we still talking about tubbers? 'Cause it seems like she's having a mighty good time." Santana was taken aback at the brunette's sudden mood change. Rachel seemed almost heartbroken. Santana wondered what she was thinking when she saw the tiny diva shaking her head to herself.

Rachel, on the other hand, was at the brink of a nervous breakdown. The last couple of days had been an emotional rollercoaster for the brunette. And she was really not used to this much alcohol. Her thoughts were all in a mess, wreaking havoc in her mind. _No, no she can't. Well, she technically can. But she shouldn't. But why? This is a gay club and Quinn is gay and she is currently talking to a quite attractive young woman who seems to be interested in her, I mean who wouldn't be, and I should be happy for her. Yes. And they might just be talking about something else. Maybe the girl is upset about something and Quinn is being helpful. _

"She's just being nice." Rachel finally answered with a faraway look in her eyes. _I have no right to be upset at this. Quinn is trying to step out of her shell. This is a good thing. This is a very good th-…_

"Because Quinn is such a ray of sunshine to be around. Keep telling yourself that." Rachel turned around to face Santana fully with an angry look on her face.

"Why did you do it?" Santana glared at the tiny diva when Rachel dabbed her finger at her chest quite forcefully.

"Wha-" _What the hell?! _Santana stepped back, causing Rachel to lose her balance for a moment, realizing just how drunk she really was.

"Why did you bring us here?" _Oh. That. So that blondie and you could finally get over yourselves and do it? Better not say that though. Midget has stabby fingers. _

"Jeez, I thought we could all let it loose and have some fun, you know. There aren't any guys disturbing us here, the ladies are much more decent when you reject them." _Not that I would, ever._

"You shouldn't have." Rachel's tone was accusing, but defeated at the same time. Her anger seemed to be replaced by some kind of sadness now.

"And why is that, hobbit?" Santana asked, almost kindly.

"It makes Quinn very uncomfortable."

"She'll get over it. She's not that uptight, you know. I mean for her upbringing, she's actually pretty open-minded when it comes to the gays. That's one thing I've always wondered about…" _Wait a minute. _"Berry, do you know something that I don't?" Rachel looked like a deer caught in the headlights. _GOTCHA._

"No, Santana," replied the brunette with determination in her voice.

"TALK. NOW." _I knew it! I fucking knew it! All hail Auntie Snix and her mighty gaydar. _She stepped towards Rachel, trying to physically intimidate her. To her surprise, Rachel placed her palm on her shoulder and pushed her back.

"NO." Santana decided to change her strategy and try verbal intimidation.

"Berry. Don't make me kick your ass. Tell me what you know." Rachel did not budge. _This used to work so well. I must be really getting old. _

"I can't." Rachel's reply was quiet. She wanted Santana to stop pursuing this, but she couldn't see a way out of the conversation other than to just kiss the Latina, which… _yeah, not happening. EVER._

"I'll talk to tubbers myself then." _Wait, what? NO. She'll think I told Santana and I'll lose her. _

"DON'T!" Rachel shouted, and then covered her mouth with her hand, realizing that she was making a scene. A couple of people turned around to see what was going on. Rachel smiled a nervous smile to them to indicate it was okay, that she wasn't being harassed or anything. Santana rolled her eyes and tried to calm herself down.

"Why?"

"Let her come to you on her terms."

"So I was right." This time it was Rachel who felt irritated by this conversation. Santana seemed to stuck on being right that she didn't even seem to care about the feelings of her best friend.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Rachel replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Keep telling yourself that." Santana finished her beer and turned away from Rachel. Just as she was about to step away from the conversation, she felt Rachel grab her wrist.

"Santana."

"Berry." She faced Rachel, who still had her wrist in her grasp. They exchanged a glare, and then Santana saw something else in the other brunette's eyes. Something close to pleading.

"I don't want to lose her trust as a friend. She needs us." For a moment, Santana didn't know what to say to that. She then smiled to herself and shook her wrist free.

"I think I finally got what blondie sees in you, Berry." And with that, she started moving away. Rachel just stood there, her mouth slightly agape.

"What?" _Oh dear lord. I'm dealing with idiots here. _Santana turned around for a moment, still holding her smile and replied:

"Nothing. Go and save tubbers before she explodes from all the repression midget. I'll keep my mouth shut." And then she sauntered away.

"But…" _WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!_

* * *

Quinn smiled at the redhead who was talking about a band that she didn't even like. _What am I doing? I'm not even enjoying this conversation? _She wondered where Rachel had disappeared to and wished she was drunker than she currently was. _This flirting thing is exhausting. It shouldn't be this hard to talk with girls. _She wondered if Santana saw her talking to the redhead and if she had, what she was thinking.

"So there I was, at the front row…" _It wouldn't really be the end of the world if Santana knew. I mean, yeah, she would probably tease me about it a lot in the beginning, but she has been through it all. I doubt she'll remember anything about tonight though. She was drinking pretty heavily the last I saw her. So was Rachel though. I hope she doesn't get sick later on. _She smiled again and nodded, urging the redhead to go on, and the girl obliged. _I need a way out of this conversation, without being too rude. _

Quinn tried to come up with a plausible excuse to walk away and find the brunette. Then she realized the redhead was staring at her. _Why did she stop talking? _Her eyebrow shot up, without her even meaning to.

"I said you're really cute." Quinn felt the blood rush to her face. She stared at her hands, trying to come up with something to say.

"Thanks." The redhead seemed a bit disappointed at her response. But she also seemed determined.

"You wanna leave?" _Asdfghjkllkjhgf. Is she suggesting what I think she is suggesting? _"I live real close to this place, and my roommate is out tonight. We could spend some time." _This is so NOT the moment. Help! Where is Satan when you need somebody to rudely interrupt a conversation? _

"She's actually my ride tonight." _Wait, what? _Quinn looked at Rachel who seemed to have heard the cries of help the blonde was screaming inside her head. _Does that make her my knight in a shining armor? Mmm. More like princess in an armor. But then she wouldn't need an armor, really. Do people wear anything inside an armor? Wait, no. Stop. She's right there next to you and she's saving your ass from a very awkward situation._ "I'm sorry, I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Rachel Berry." The brunette extended her hand to the redhead to shake, which was ignored. _Now that was even more awkward. Rude. _

"Fiona." The brunette did not seem to be deterred by the dismissal in the redhead's voice.

"It's very nice to meet you, Fiona. Like I was saying, Quinn here is my ride back home tonight, so I apologize if that causes you any inconvenience. But I'm sure if you gave her your number, you could arrange something else some other time." Quinn looked at Rachel in a daze. Fiona punched her number in Rachel's phone and then left with a wink.

"Um Rachel…" _This is way too weird. _"Did you just get a girl's number on my behalf?" The brunette just shrugged.

"You seemed a bit panicked when I got here. But you also seemed very interested in her so I wanted to make sure you have a way to contact her if you wanted to." _Do you?_

"Oh. Thanks… I guess. But I won't be needing that." Rachel's face lit up with a smile. "I wasn't really interested; I just couldn't find a polite way to make my exit. This flirting this is way too complicated for me. I have no idea what I'm doing. And I kind of freaked out." _Stop rambling and get to the point. _"So yeah… Thanks for saving me."

"Anytime you need." Rachel then surprised the blonde by linking their arms. "Can we dance?"

"Here?" _Help. I can't dance with her. I might just die and have a heart attack if we came into close contact. But what a way to go… _

"We're at a dance club, Quinn." Rachel seemed to be very amused at the way the blonde was blushing. "It's okay. We've danced together in Glee before." _She's right. I can do this. I want to do this. Deep breaths. _Quinn nodded curtly and let the brunette drag her out to the dance floor.

Some time later, Santana spotted the couple slow dancing in the middle of the dance floor. Both girls were visibly tipsy, hanging onto each other to balance themselves but smiling like maniacs. She chuckled to herself as she downed another tequila shot. _Mission accomplished._

* * *

**So. This was once again so much fun to write. Hope you guys had fun reading as well. All thoughts are appreciated! **


	10. Crossing Bridges

**Chapter 10: Crossing Bridges**

**A/N: Thanks once again to everyone who has reviewed, favorited and followed this story. I promised myself around the New Year's (as a resolution, if you wish) that I would finish this story before April (that's when I posted the first chapter last year). This fic took way longer than I thought it would but it's finally finished. There will be one more chapter after this and it is already written – waiting to be proofread by me. So yeah. Thanks so much. And enjoy!**

The room was still dark. Quinn didn't want to wake up. She felt disoriented and there was an insistent pounding in her head. She tried to turn to her side, but she couldn't. Every single joint in her body hurt. She opened her mouth to groan but her throat burned. Water, she needed water. And she needed it now. She reached out to the night stand (she always kept a bottle of water there) but her hand only met air. That's when Quinn finally woke up. _Where am I? And why do I feel like I've been run over by a car… repeatedly and then jumped off a bridge? _She somehow managed to raise her head off the bed and saw that it was a human head that prevented her from sitting up. _Have I slept with someone? If I slept with someone and I don't remember it, I will be so pissed off. I promised myself I would be sober for my first time with a girl. _The human head murmured something that sounded very much like "leave me alone" when she tried to move. _At least it's a girl this time._

Then, light poured into the room and Quinn felt as if a thousand bees were attacking her eyes. She tried to cover her eyes with one hand but then it was not only her eyes but her ears that were being attacked. "RISE AND SHINE!" _I'm dying. This is it. And I didn't even get to tell Rachel that I..._ She felt the weight pressing her down to the bed lift and she dared to uncover her eye to see. That was when she came face to face with an adorably confused Rachel Berry. _Oh. _"I'm making breakfast for you losers. God, you guys look like shit."

"Can we kill her?" Rachel whispered to Quinn, ignoring the Latina who was currently shoving two bottles of water in their hands and some painkillers. _Way ahead of you on that one. I just need some money to hire a sharp shooter._

"Amateurs. That's what you two are. Next time, we're drinking more. You two needs to build your tolerances up." Santana moved towards the window and opened the blinds, not even bothering to stifle her laughter when the two groaned in protest. It was Rachel who spoke again. _How can she even speak? I feel like my throat has been torched by a flame-thrower. _

"There won't be a second time because we'll be dead by then." The blonde subtly tried to slip back under the blankets, wanting nothing more than just to go back to sleep.

"Good morning to you, too, drama queen." _Just a tiny bit lower, and then… _Quinn once again felt the sunshine attack her. _Why is it even sunny outside?_ Santana had removed the blanket with one swift pull. "And don't even think about it blondie."

Quinn muttered a couple of curse words under her breath while she turned on her belly to bury her face in the pillow.

"What was that sunshine? I couldn't hear you."

"I said I hate you."

"Well then I'm gonna have to feed the midget here all the pancakes I made. It's unfortunate that she's so tiny, she might actually explode afterwards." Santana successfully dodged a pillow thrown by one Rachel Berry. The tiny diva actually seemed to be trying to stifle her own laughter while gesturing about something. It took Santana only a moment to understand what she was trying to say. She approached the blonde with an evil grin on her face as the other brunette did the same. Quinn never saw it coming, but when the two brunettes attacked her sides, tickling her mercilessly, she shot right out of the bed. _I liked it much better when these two did not get along._ She made her way to the bathroom, smiling despite herself when she heard the laughter.

Half an hour later, they were all sitting around the kitchen table, munching on Santana's pancakes. "I didn't know you could cook, Santana!" Rachel was basically stuffing her face with the delicious food. "This is heaven in my mouth." Santana could tell exactly when Rachel realized how that sounded from the blush that spread all over her face. _Must. Let. It. Pass. It's gonna be worth it. _

"I work at a diner. The boss keeps calling it a restaurant but that ain't gonna make it fancier." She took a sip from her black coffee. _Like my soul. Perfect. _"So. You and tubbers were quite loud last night." Rachel and Quinn both choked on their food. _Hilarious. _"I swear you two woke the whole apartment complex up while I was trying to get you two to bed. I'm pretty sure midget here kicked a chair or something on her way."

"Sorry about that." _Sorry's not gonna cut it midget. You puked on my shoes. You's gonna pay. _Rachel actually looked embarrassed about the night before. _I wonder how much they remember about last night. Let's see. _

"But that was nothing compared to what woke me up at like 5 am." This time there was no choking. Rachel looked as if she was trying to telepathically send a message to Quinn by burning holes on the side of her head where she was staring at the blonde, while Quinn seemed as if she was fascinated by the patterns of the carpet. Both of their faces were a light shade of pink. _I'm gonna have to give this one to blondie. She pulls of red better than anyone else. _"I mean, that was loud." Santana sipped her coffee again, enjoying the torture she was inflicting on her friends. "I would have expected you two to be a little more considerate. Think about the children, you know." It took almost all Santana had not to lose it when the other brunette made a squeaky noise. Quinn, on the other hand, suddenly stopped staring at the floor and started glaring at the Latina. _I'm a genius. I'm a fucking genius. _Santana watched as Quinn gently placed a hand on Rachel's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze to reassure the tiny diva. _Smooth, Fabray. _"I know you have some pipes there Berry, but I must say Q, you were quite impressive, trying to keep up with the diva. All that screaming must have done a number on your throat."

"Okay, that's enough!" Quinn was fuming. She wasn't sure what exactly had happened the night before. She couldn't really remember anything else after she and Rachel started dancing. It was the nicest, warmest, tingliest memory by far. It was almost as if she could still feel Rachel's warmth against her body. She looked at the brunette, who seemed to be absolutely horrified by Santana's suggestion that… well, they had sex quite loudly. Loud enough to wake everyone up, apparently. Quinn's brain short-circuited when she let herself imagine that for a moment. She cursed at herself for not being able to remember anything.

"Oh, believe me Q, it's not nearly enough. I even thought about making a noise complaint to the cops. I was actually afraid to come and yell at you. Normally I would have joined, you know, but it was too late and you two were going pretty hard at it. Hardcore stuff. I was actually impressed." Santana looked straight into Rachel's eyes when she spoke, seeing the tiny diva's eyes grow at least two sizes. _She'll either hug me or kill me when she realizes what I'm doing. Hope she doesn't have a coronary by then. _

"No. You're making me and Rachel very uncomfortable. I'm sorry if we kept you up, but we have both apologized. You're going to stop now. You had your fun. Actually, we're going to leave now." Quinn stood up from her chair and grabbed Rachel's hand. The brunette joined her, giving the blonde a small smile. Santana watched the silent interaction between the two, not bothering to stop them. _I gots to clean up anyway. _

"Well, see you later then. Just make sure you two don't break out into song on your way again. My ears are still bleeding." Santana laughed when Rachel's jaw practically fell onto the ground.

"What?"

"I listened to you two butcher at least 3 perfectly fine top 40 hits last night. The world doesn't deserve the torture, that's all I'm saying." Santana gave herself a mental high-five when she saw the half-relieved and half-disappointed looks on their faces.

"We sang all night?" It was Quinn who asked this time, her voice more high-pitched than usual.

"Yeah, what did you think I was talking about?" Santana stared into Quinn's eyes, as if daring her to be honest.

"Nothing, really." _Chicken. _Santana raised one eyebrow and nodded. _As if, Fabray. _

"Well, we'll be on our way then," Rachel announced and walked towards the door. It was only when they reached the door that Santana noticed they were still holding each other's hands. _You're welcome. Go get her before I die of old age, Q. _

Rachel had been thinking about a lot of things since they woke up that morning. She had woken up to find Quinn as her pillow, then proceeded to have a tickle fight and ended up being played by Santana, believing she had actually had super loud – screaming out loud sex with Quinn. _And I was actually okay with that. I was okay with the idea of having had drunken sex with Quinn. _She sighed, looking out the window. They were on a train, going back to Rachel's dorm. Quinn would have to leave early next day. _What does that mean? I mean, she's incredibly attractive, and I do like her, but… What does that mean for us? Should it mean anything? _She felt Quinn nudge her shoulder.

"What's going on in your mind?" The blonde seemed concerned. _You'd freak out if I told you. Hey, Quinn, I was happy to wake up next to you this morning, and then I was a-okay with thinking we had mind-blowing sex. What's going on in YOUR mind? She'd probably be on the next train back to New Haven. _"Hey. You're actually freaking me out. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm just really tired. I think I won't be drinking any more blue drinks from now on."

"Does that mean you'll also stop asking for the numbers of my suitors for me?" Quinn wiggled her eyebrows, trying to cheer the brunette up.

"You don't really need my help for that. I believe I actually set you back, she was ready to take you home when I got there, and you ended up with just her number." _Which makes me a cockblock, I believe. Such a crude term. _

"And I thank you for that again. I am nowhere ready for something like that yet." Quinn paused for a moment, but then decided to continue anyway. "I thought, this morning when Santana was talking about being loud, you know… I thought that we had slept together." Rachel felt her heart break a little when she saw how apologetic Quinn was being. _Of course she would never actually want that. Why would she? _

"Well, we didn't and Santana was just being Santana so it's fine." Rachel tried to hide the disappointment she was feeling, but she knew Quinn would see through it. She hoped the blonde would misinterpret it. Then she heard Quinn say something unexpected.

"It's r-really not." Quinn was studying her own hands, trying to avoid her gaze.

"What do you mean?" _Would it be that awful? _Quinn slowly raised her head to look her in the eyes. Rachel felt as if she was about to have a heart attack when their eyes locked. It was one of those moments when something was about to change, for better or worse. She wanted to rewind the time, to hold onto something. _I don't want to lose you, _she tried to communicate silently with her eyes. _I like you. I love you. You're my friend and you're so much more at the same time. You challenge and confuse me. I can't lose you now. _She felt her breath hitch when Quinn started speaking again. 

"I think… I think I wouldn't have minded if we had, you know…" _She- what? _Quinn looked down for a moment, breaking the connection, and then continued, this time a little calmer. "I mean I would have minded that I couldn't remember anything. But not doing that. Not with you." Rachel felt like she was being launched into space. She was somewhere way up there, all sound echoing a million times, heart beating a million beats per second, her body burning from the friction. She felt like she had been singing too loud for too long and she was out of breath, lost in a world of euphoria. _Words. I need words._

"Oh." _WORDS. That was NOT a word. Why can't I do words? Words are my thing. _She somehow managed to smile at the blonde, who was now visibly nervous and shaking. Quinn sighed in relief when she saw the brunette smile at her.

"Yeah," was all the blonde said in return. _This is huge. How do we even… Of course we would have this conversation on a train. I do appreciate the drama of it though. I should probably say something…_

"I-" she started, almost at the same time the blonde opened her mouth.

"Did-" Rachel giggled nervously and gestured the blonde to continue. "Did I freak you out?" _She's so cute. How is she so cute? It's not fair._

"A little." Quinn's face fell at that. Rachel, seeing that, reached over and placed her hand gently over the blonde's. Then she went on to explain. "But not for the reason you think." _Because you always think the worse. We both do. _The blonde looked up to her, hope evident in her eyes. "I wouldn't have minded it, either." Rachel finally admitted. For a moment, they just stared at each other, not knowing what to do. It was out in the open now. _We have just figured out how to be friends. Could we… Does she even want to be anything more?_

"I… I don't know what to say now." Quinn echoed her feelings. But she felt lighter, as if she could just lift off and soar into the sky. She smiled a brilliant smile when she felt Rachel nudge her hand and entangle their fingers.

"It's okay. It's been a crazy few days." The brunette's voice was soothing. Quinn felt a new wave of strength wash over her. It would be okay. They would be okay. Everything in the world had the potential to go well when Rachel's fingers were wrapped around hers like they were now.

"It has." Quinn felt a bit shy now that she had basically just admitted to wanting to have sex with one of her closest friends. She only hoped that Rachel knew she wanted more than just that.

They fell silent for a while watching the houses they passed at a high speed, both thinking about the night before. It was Rachel who broke the silence first. "I liked the dancing part though." _I liked being able to hold you close._

"I'm glad I can actually remember that." Quinn chuckled. Rachel felt a bit disappointed when the blonde did not return the sentiment exactly. She tried to change the topic quickly.

"I wonder which songs we covered, though." _And there is no way we sounded bad. Our voices blend together quite beautifully. I'm sure it would be the same even if we were just screaming. Not that we would. I am NOT thinking about that now. _

"You would." Quinn smiled at Rachel and the was she was blushing lightly. "Hey, Rach?" The blonde felt her pulse quicken, still a feeling shy about it all.

"Yes, Quinn?"

"I really enjoyed dancing with you, too." Rachel felt her heart flutter at that. _Mental happy dance. _Quinn bit her lower lip, lost in her own head. "Do you think…" Quinn started again. "Do you think we could do that again, sometime?" _YES. Be cool, Rachel. Be cool now. Don't blow this. _Rachel swallowed once to make sure her voice wouldn't tremble when she answered. Then she spoke, as calmly as she could:

"I think we could." _YES. _Quinn gave her hand a soft squeeze, trying to contain her smile. "We're not inviting Santana, though." Rachel added. _There's no way she's getting any more involved than she already is. _

Quinn was quick to agree. "Oh, we're definitely not inviting her. I just want to dance with you." Rachel beamed at her. _I'm melting. There I am. I am a puddle. _"Do you think she knows?" Rachel's expression turned more serious at the question. She knew that the Latina knew about Quinn's sexuality, but the question actually made her see the torture they went through in the morning in a new light. _Perhaps she does. _

"I'm pretty sure she does. Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah, it's okay. I still need to talk to her at some point though."

"Yes, you do." After that, they fell silent again, both stealing glances every once in a while. Ten minutes later, they were at their stop. Quinn suddenly wished they could just keep riding the train, that the day just kept on going, that she didn't have to be at Yale again the next day. It couldn't be helped, though.

"So, what are we doing tonight?" she asked. She might have to leave the day after, but she would make the best of the rest of this day for sure. Then she saw the brunette blush next to her. "RACH!"

"I'm sorry! God you can be loud." This time it was the blonde who turned into a brilliant shade of red.

**So, I'm pretty happy with the way this thing found a resolution, but I'd love to hear what you guys thought. The last chapter will actually be them going on a date, btw. I'll upload it in a couple of days. Till then, ciao! **


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